humble abode.

When I say humble, I mean humble. ha My apartment is tiny. It is more like an efficiency but it is really working out nicely. The first few weeks I had some issues and considered finding a new place but I'm getting a routine now and things are a lot better. My mom and I put a lot of work into fixing up this little place and I have a few before pictures but we had already started cleaning so it's not to drastic of a difference. I don't have a lot of storage but I really like being out here away from things. Ask me how I feel when it is 2 degrees outside and I have to use the wall heater... 

I forgot to take a picture of the outside of the barn so we will start with the front door. 

My front door. It is inside the barn so I have to walk through the barn to get into my house.

These pictures don't depict the size of the place very well but at least what it looks like.

My tiny closet. Plenty big enough for me though.

Desk made in 1890 by my great grandpa I believe. I found it in the old farmhouse. I guess my Aunt Sharon found it in the shop when she moved here filled with tractor manuals. She cleaned it up and had it in her house until she moved again. I have now claimed it! :)

I love, love, love quilts! and yes I still sleep with my Mr. Bear. 

Table/desk for studying

I can't have much company. ha

Way to many books! 

My tiny kitchen... there are roosters on the curtains. Yes, I know I'm an old lady. 

The shower is pretty tiny, and I have had to bring back the skills I learned at Ozark for shaving my legs. 

I even have a flower bed. Now if only I could find time to fix it up and plant a few flowers.

The view from my kitchen window. :)

I love being able to leave my windows open all the time, and still feel safe. I have also really enjoyed the peace and quiet. It took a little while but it is starting to feel sort of like home. I get to go to my real house every weekend though so it's not quite the same as moving away. :)

a monday.

So, today was an ultimate Monday. I had histology test which I know I did really bad on. I just didn't have the time to study for it that I needed, and it was just a really hard test. After a physiology test and anatomy "quiz" last week I was just burned out! 

Then, I got my physiology quiz, that we also took last week, and it was just really bad. Needless to say, I was really frustrated! I have got to get refocused... Please pray for me, I'm really struggling in the focusing area. 

This evening I went to the CVF missions meeting. CVF stands for Christian Veterinary Fellowship. They presented the mission trip they took to Honduras this past summer. It's basically the same as the trips I have been on except they add veterinary to medical and dental. The students get to do all the surgeries, mainly spay and neuter, and get to give all kinds of shots and dewormer. The vet that goes with the group just supervises. So it is really good experience! They do sort of like vbs stuff for the kids but that was the only spiritual thing I could really tell they did. Also, it really bothered me that the people presenting the trip where the same two girls that hosted the anatomy party for our class. (After the first big anatomy test they invited us all out to basically get drunk and they would provide the alcohol.) I don't know, just seemed a bit hypocritically to me but who am I to judge? Anyway, It looks like a lot of fun and you can go basically anywhere you want. If there isn't a trip planned to the place you want to go, then you just let CVM know and they will set it up for you. They have a trip planned for Mongolia that I think would be really cool! Or go back to Africa. I don't know, anywhere in South America would be cool too! :) 

This weekend I brought the cat Jennifer got for me back to my apartment. I have had a bit of a mice problem and I don't want to deal with any more mice traps. Gross and totally ruins my day! So Jennifer was sweet and got me a cat, or actually gave me Addison's cat because she decided she wanted to keep the kitten. :) Her name is Lynx, Addison named her. :) Last night when I went to bed she was just laying outside in the barn so I thought she would just stay around the barn. Well I got up this morning I couldn't find her, so I got a little concerned. I was going to feel terrible if she ran away! I have been praying all day that she would come back when she got hungry or thirsty. Well tonight while I was talking on the phone with my mom I heard a cat meowing! I opened the door and there she was!!! :) I reminded her where the food was and then let her in my apartment for a little while. God really does watch out for us. Even in the little things. I really needed this reminder today. She is really playful and sweet!! I'm not getting much accomplished because she wants to be on my computer while I'm typing... cats really aren't my favorite creature but as long as she keeps the mice under control I think I can learn to love her. haha She has finally settled down and is just laying on my lap now. I will post a picture of her soon.

I worked on cleaning my apartment this evening for a little study break. I will hopefully post some pictures tomorrow.  Tuesdays are my easy day at school so I'm hoping to get a lot of other stuff done. I'm really trying to work on my procrastination problem. ;) Even though I have been struggling with school stuff lately, I just keep reminding myself that I didn't get into vet school without God and I'm not going to get through it without Him. He has a plan for my life and I just have to remember to do my part and trust Him to do the rest. 

I know this verse is sometimes overused but right now it is a great reminder and I really like the way the Message translation puts it. 

"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)

dairy lab.

Have I mentioned that I love cows?? This afternoon I got a break from the books and went out to OSU Dairy for a couple hours. I got to wear my muck boots and when I left I had cow poop all over my jeans.  :) I know I'm so weird! ha 

We walked around and looked at all the different ages of cows. Learned all kinds of fun facts about dairy cows and then we got to head into the parlor to milk some cows.

These are some young heifers that are just hanging out in the pasture until they getting big enough to be bred. 

In the parlor

Holstein cows are the sweetest animal someone could deal with. Holstein bulls/steers are the absolute meanest animal someone could deal with. More than one professor has told us this fun fact. 

I'm not good at taking pictures with my phone obviously... ha

Calf hutch and some mamas heading back out after being milked.

I seriously want one! Soooooo cute! :)

All these pictures where taken with my phone so they aren't the greatest quality and most are a bit blurry but, as everyone knows, I'm a little obsessed with taking pictures. I don't wanna be the weird girl that carries her camera everywhere but I'm really tempted!

Well I need to study anatomy so I can take care of these cute boogers some day! 

foster.

This morning Julie and I did a physical exam on Foster the alpaca. We were both a little hesitant because llamas and alpacas spit on people when they don't like what you are doing. The hospital has a llama that we don't do anything with because even if you get close to her stall she spits on you. Her name is Delilah and just watching her is hilarious. She definitely thinks she is queen of the barn. 

Foster was perfectly nice to us though. He is just a really funny animal. He has had surgery on his ear and has something wrong with a drainage canal or something on the left side of his head. ( that sounds like I really know what I'm talking about I'm sure. ha but I can't remember the exact terms.) His left ear flops over and he would just look at us with the most hilarious expressions. He seemed very annoyed with us but thankfully he didn't spit! We both wanted to get a picture with him but we talked to much to the fourth year and had to hurry to not be late to class. Maybe in the morning I can get a picture with him but for now this one will do. 

I was trying to capture the look he kept giving us really quick before I left, but I was using the camera on my phone so it's not very clear. Maybe in the morning. 

I am really enjoying this husbandry thing, I just don't enjoy leaving my apt when it is still dark outside. It's only for a week though so I think I can make it. ;) 

I have a couple free hours before I head to the dairy for Zootech lab so I'm going to try and get some studying accomplished. I'm sure I will have pictures to share from the dairy. Everyone says it is a lot of fun! :)

passing.

In undergrad I used to get so upset when I didn't get at least a B on a test. Now when I get a test back and I got a high C. I'm happy. It's passing! I study as much as I can and I know the material it just seems like they start asking questions and I have no idea what they are talking about or I just flat out forget. Professors can't seem to just ask a straight forward question. This morning I had a physiology test. I studied a lot for it. I started taking the test and it seemed like all the little things just left my brain. So I made a 78.5. I could have done better, and it probably would have helped if I didn't have to get up at 5:40 this am, but it's passing. It's a terrible attitude to have but to stay in vet school a person just have to get a C. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't plan on getting all C's but I have decided I can't stress myself out about it. I already need to start taking blood pressure medicine because of how my BP gets when I have to get my Rabies shot. ha 

I really do feel like I am learning so much and can't wait to start applying it. I just can't seem to convey that information on test. We have a whole class basically on learning to communicate with clients, and it is so interesting. I just wanna go out and start treating animals. Patience is not a strong virtue of mine... 

I want to do this right now and know what I'm talking about. ha

I better go. The physiology test is over but now I have to get ready for the anatomy test and physiology quiz on Friday. It's never ending! Could someone please come clean my apartment? ha (hopefully I will get pictures of it up soon.) 

drinking from a fire hose.

A couple of weeks into school one of my professors was giving us a pep talk and he described the first year, at least most of the first year, of vet school as "drinking from a fire hose." The first few weeks the fire hose was drowning me. It has gotten a little better but it is still so overwhelming. They fire information at us so fast, it is impossible to keep up. I had every intention of blogging lots so that I would be able to look back at it when I graduate and laugh at myself, so I'm really going to try. Those first few weeks were just totally overwhelming!

The reason I'm putting myself through this. I have to remind myself every once in awhile. 

So far I have got to castrate a goat and learned to do a physical on a cow, along with some other cattle handling concepts. It definitely helped get me refocused! This week I have to be at the hospital, to do TPR's on the in house animals, every morning at 7:15 am. Plus a physiology test, anatomy test, and physiology quiz... yikes!

My friend, Julie, is actually castrating in this picture but I did part of it. 

She was a great patient!

I'm really going to try to update this with pictures and crazy vet school stories along with stories from life in general. It should help that my internet is way faster than it is when I am at home for the summer. :)

Fun fact: My friends call me pioneer woman. haha I don't know why because we are quite opposite but maybe it's because I got them all hooked on her blog. :) I also feel really blessed to have found some genuinely good people to be friends with. It will make these next four years so much more bearable and fun. They are already asking to come out to the farm. God definitely answered that prayer for me. It was really lonely being here with no real friends.

I have a physiology test bright and early in the morning so I better get to studying!