fortune telling

Two months down. Three years and two months, that is. 10 months to go.

I had the best vacation. The week in St. Louis, followed by a few days off, followed by a long Independence Day weekend on a lake in northern Iowa. Gorgeous weather, plenty of sleep, relaxation, really fun times. It was my first time on a major body of water since last summer, and I loved every minute of it.

I feel exceptionally lucky for my schedule this summer – I paid my dues with starting in ICU, but since then, and until the middle of September, a mix of vacation with relatively easy rotations.

This is how I see the year going for me:

Summer (through Sept): happy, fun, worry-free. Picture me tan, laughing, wind in my hair. Travelling, having a great time, enjoying good and relatively low-key rotations.

Fall (Oct, Nov): dark and scary. Picture me wide-eyed, petrified, concentrating really hard. I’ll have my Grand Rounds presentation, and the National Board exam. Study, work, STRESS.

Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb): cold and mysterious. Mostly because I’ll be waiting to find out my board results. I should find out around February 1 if I passed. I also hope to make good progress on the job search front. Picture me huddled under the covers in the fetal position, weeping. Biting my nails.

Spring (Feb – May): happiest time of my life (projected). Picture me twirling on a mountain top, swinging my arms in the air, singing. I’ll have passed boards (which I WILL), will have a new job. Major responsibilities will be behind me and I’ll have almost nothing standing between me and graduation. I’ll do some travelling for preceptorships, start preparing for graduation and beyond, and generally, enjoy the crap out of my life.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be one happy girl. I’m totally okay with those five dark months in there so long as I really do pass boards.

We’ll see how it goes. 2 months down, 10 more to go.