Article
September 16, 2014
by Stefanie Paulson

Residency Applications

Today I submitted a summary of my entire life accomplishments to 83 different hospitals with hope that at least one of then will hire me for next year.

That is crazy!

Now, it was actually not even that simple. After weeks and weeks of carefully preparing my application, groveling for letters of recommendation, and reading every word I wrote 12 times over – when it came time for the 9am submission time, the website crashed. To say I was devastated would be the understatement of the year. Instead, I spent the next six hours watching New Girl, eating ice cream, and hitting refresh.

Fast forward – after a few tears and some deep breathing exercises, I am all submitted. Honestly, I am trying to just let it all go and pray. It’s all in the Lord’s hands now.

So please, pray for these next few weeks and pray favor on my application. The next few months will be filled with running around like a crazy person on interviews.

Here is to hoping and to finally being done!!

Article
August 29, 2014
by Stefanie Paulson

New Look

Hey There!

So, If you bother to come by here anymore you might have noticed things look a bit different. We finally got around to updating our blog. (YAY!) The design and template needed a serious update and we wanted something that fit our life now. We rarely write long updates, but liked the idea of the blog so we have found a way to use more short-format posts and way more images to still give glimpses into our everyday adventures. We hope that this will allow us to share more and be more interesting for everyone.

Cheers!

Gallery
August 29, 2014
by Stefanie Paulson

Summer Sporting Events

One of our close friends, Kelsie is from Trinidad. We met her in Grenada and she is doing clinical rotations here in Brooklyn as well. We have made it our mission to make sure she experiences some of the best parts of American culture. And (especially if you ask Tyler) that equals sports!!!

We went to a Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets A squad) game earlier this month at Coney Island.

MCU Park

And last night we went to a preseason NY Giants game. Kelsie’s dad is a big NFL fan but she hates the cold, so preseason was the way to go for her. Tyler and I momentarily dropped our Pittsburgh allegiances to cheer the Giants on.

Metlife Stadium

Today Stefanie completed the USMLE Step 2 CK, her last exam of medical school. Tonight we’re off to Long Island to celebrate with cocktails and lobsters!

Status
August 23, 2014
by Tyler Paulson
Article
January 8, 2014
by Stefanie Paulson

2014 is Here

Well, the New Year is here and I have almost made the habit of writing the date at 2014. Still feels weird though.

Even though the New Year crept in unsuspectingly at the Paulson home (we may have been in bed by 10), it carries all of the same feelings of new beginnings as anyone else. We have evaluated 2013. Made goals for 2014: eat healthier (detox from the holidays), be more active, more time with friends and God. We are staring into a long 257 day trip through the rest of this year year head on.

In many ways this year is likely to be one of the hardest of my life. I know this. Between tacking the 3 hardest rotations (OBGYN, Surgery, and Internal Medicine), taking both parts of my USMLE Step 2 exam, plus applying to and starting to interview for Residency. Its a LOT for one year. It will be great come the end when my work load lightens up and I have time to breath, go out, etc. But it seems daunting right now. To say I need a lot of strength and guidance would be an understatement.

And Tyler is no less busy with all the work he does with his company, the ministry work he is involved in, plus being the most supportive husband ever and always putting me first even when he doesn’t need to.

We are excited for the future which is coming. But know that it will take a strength far greater than ourselves to conquer. After 2 weeks of vacation at home and trying our best to relax (we failed) we are playing a “ready or not, here it comes” with life.

Among the list of things for 2014, we are hoping the blog will finally get its makeover which should make posting more easier. We really do regret to be so sporadic. Much of what I do day-to-day is a bit hard to write about with HIPPA and all that. Plus we just get so busy. Following myself on Instagram is likely the best way to stay up-to-date with more day-to-day things. But we promise to work harder at sharing our adventures. There are so many to share. šŸ™‚

Gallery
October 26, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

Fall Foliage Road Trip

Adventures are our favorite!

Backdating this post a few months (currently writing from the middle of the Polar Vortex!), we had such a fun trip and an amazing introduction to a season non-existent in both Grenada and California that I just had to share.

We took a road trip through the Hudson River Valley just north of the city. We started the day with craft coffee and delicious breakfast and then spent a few hours driving through trees painted the most beautiful colors. It was sunny, bright blue skies, and the perfect crisp, chill fall air that I personally love the most. After some adventures, hiking, leave stomping, and my need to collect a leave in every color to take home – we stopped for beer and cheese plates as all date day afternoons should comprise of.




100,000 Miles!

Tyler and the Escape100,000

Later that day, after our afternoon pitstop – we hit a pretty big milestone! We hit the 100,000 mile mark on the ol’ Escape! It was such a fun moment (even more so for Tyler) and was documented with way more pictures than ever need to be taken of one car. But, we are excited to think of all the many more adventures this car will likely take us on.

Just a fun filled day with my favorite guy! Not often we get to take whole days together in the midst of our crazy schedules, so it is always a treat!

Article
October 24, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

Rotation Updates

I know, I know – updates are WAY too infrequent. Year 3 is the busiest and most challenging year of medical school in many ways and living in NY not only keeps us extra busy, but provides us with lots of other fun things to do to fill our time as well. I promise I am hoping to get it together soon tho!

The year has flown by and I am already over half-way into my second clinical rotation. First I did Family Medicine which was likely the most low key of all of the rotations. On one hand it was nice to get to ease into things. On the other, after all of the studying I was a little anxious to get super hands-on. However, it was a good rotation. I like the hospital I am placed in and the doctors are all super invested in teaching and that is great. It was nice to get the basic lay of the land of patient care and learning how to balance having “my own patients.”

I am currently completing my Psychiatry rotation at a hospital in Manhattan. This rotation has proved to be quite a few more hours a week as we round quite late into the day. And the commute from Sunset Park to Lower East Side is not my friend most days. However, the rotation has been great. I have had so much direct interaction with attending doctors which is unique and I feel like I have learned a ton. This is a specialty that I find immensely fascinating even though I am not sure if it is really for me. I have seen so many cases and I feel like everyday I get more comfortable with what I am doing. And bonus, I have some GREAT stories!

Tyler has been busy busy at work as usual. Tyler is working out of a co-working studio up in South Slope about 10 minutes from our apartment. He loves it. He just recently moved into a private corner office he shares with another guy and this gives him 24 hour access to the office which I think he really likes. The separation of work and home I think has really been beneficial for us both. And typical Tyler, he is always deep into new and exciting project for work. He is one dedicated and busy boy.

We have been living up fall over here. The lows in the night are starting to be about the lowest it ever gets in Cali in a typical winter so we are sure in for some dramatic weather changes before long. So far though, we love every minute of it! The cold weather is currently in the refreshing stage and during the day it is usually sunny which is so beautiful. We have tried to take in the season to the full by going pumpkin picking a couple weeks ago in Jersey and this past weekend we took a fall foliage road trip. More on that and LOTS of pictures to come of beautiful, colorful, fiery trees.

Oh, and one last thing. My good friend is pseudo-living with us for a little while right now. She just moved to NY and is crashing in our office/guest bedroom. It’s tight quarters at times as it is still a tiny NY apartment, but it has been quite fun. It has been fun to catch up and have someone else to talk to if Tyler is working or someone to take my side in silly debates about life. HAHA.

That about sums it up for us. And for those that are more curious of our daily going-on, I highly recommend our Instagram feeds while we work on updating our blog to allow from-phone photo posts!

Gallery
September 7, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

Our Summer Canadian Road Trip

This summer to celebrate the end of my Step 1 studying, as a belated Part 2 to our anniversary, and a fun summer getaway – Tyler and I road-tripped from NYC to Quebec City to Montreal and back.

We hit Quebec first, a very french part of Canada. We stayed at the most charming B&B on a lake and enjoyed slow mornings, french food, hiking, and exploring the most beautiful city I have ever seen in all of North America. We fell in love with the city and were in awe of how beautiful it was. The city was immaculately maintained and the buildings were stupendous.

After 3 days there, we went to Montreal to enjoy some city life. We stayed at a B&B closer to the more happening parts of the city. We got to hit an art museum, travel into downtown, and we even got to watch the USA’s entry in a fireworks competition. Honestly, we spent a ton of time relaxing and just slowing down. Life was a tad busy for us. And since we love driving so much, coursing through upstate NY, Vermont, New Hampshire and the country roads of Canada was so relaxing. And we saw so many adorable little towns and homes and old churches.

We enjoyed Quebec City more since Montreal was a little too much like NYC for a vacation, so we have definitely added it to our list to go back to. Maybe in the winter when the scenery is white and crisp.

I will keep the words short and sweet and let the pictures do most of the talking!

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Article
September 4, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

Our Summer – In Review

I know, I know. We have been way too MIA. But I promise we are alive. Busy, but alive. And I am vowing to break this blog silence and resume more regular posting now that we are FINALLY starting to settle into our new routine around here.

Since so much happened this summer, I am just going to give some brief recaps of the highlights just to catch everyone up.

June

This month was literally a blur. Between the stress of studying for my USMLE, getting used to being in Brooklyn, we were totally spent. We found ourselves so exhausted from all of the moving that each day was a struggle to get things done. This was probably felt hardest by Tyler who found himself more behind in work that he would have wanted.

July

I took my exam on the 12th and after it was over, it was so great to finally breathe. We went our to celebrate that night at the coolest restaurant ever, the Bookstore, in Bethlehem PA. I found out later that I did quite well on my exam too, which has made me ever more confident and happy about this next part of medical school. Mid July we spent in Canada exploring Quebec City and Montreal. I will write more about that and give lots of pictures in another post. When we got back, is was full-force apartment hunting which was a stressful experience all in itself that we are hoping to avoid ever doing again in NYC.

August

The majority of this month has been spent moving in. Not owning anything has made this process painfully slow. Plus we are both busy and way exhausted from life. It is finally now mostly together. We love our apartment very much and think it is perfect for us, but owning nothing was a bit of a struggle. A virtual tour and lots of pictures will come soon, once we finally finish the last touches.

I also started my first rotation of 3rd year August 20th. It has been great and scary and fast. I am lucky because I started family medicine and it has not been too intense, but there is a lot to do and we are still both getting our routine down. But, I love it. That much I am sure of.

 

We are finally starting to feel at home in the new apartment, new neighborhood and with our new schedules. Me working at the hospital and Tyler working in his new co-working space. It is a new and exciting adventure and we hope to see and do a lot. We visited a bunch of Tyler’s family over the last few weeks so it is nice to know that we will be home for a while now so we can really settle in and explore NYC.

 

BTW – this is our 100th post! Hard to believe we have had 100 interesting stories thus far. Ā šŸ™‚

Article
June 8, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

A Few NY Updates

Well, we officially live Ā in BROOKLYN! We no longer live on a tiny postage stamp island in the middle of the Caribbean, but smack in the middle of millions of people and everything you could ever want ever. Except for whole foods which is way in Manhattan – but oh well.

We are so excited! Being here is just great! We have already found way too many awesome restaurants, got lost on the subway and trapped by track construction, found amazing margaritas and mexican food, and I found some decent coffee within walking distance of where we are living.

Getting settled was a bit of a mess. The keys that were supposed to be mailed to Tyler’s grandfather’s house didn’t show up so we had to have new ones overnighted. That of course was massively delayed in part due to Memorial day and in part of FedEx being lame. Poor Ty didn’t end up in NY much earlier than me which kinda ruined the plan where he would get some things set up for us, go grocery shopping, etc.

But, we are here now. And unpacked. And sadly I need to resume my hermit-like studying and really buckle down because I have a LOT to go through between now and July 12th. A LOT!

Pictures of our NY life to come – but don’t get your hopes too high while I am still studying.

Oh, and lets all pester Tyler to get on changing that location map. We promise it will be updated soon. Just as soon as my nagging wears him down. Ā šŸ˜‰

Article
May 26, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

Uprooting Again

Nearly 2 years ago Tyler and I uprooted our lives – leaving behind family, friends, all things familiar – and packed it into some large suitcases and travelled 3000 miles to a tiny island. But we made this our home. Our funny, goofy, Caribbean home. And while it has been challenging and generating that same familiar community was tougher than expected, we grew to love this place. After all, it was our first real home together. We have lived here while married longer than anywhere else so far. And it will likely remain on top for a while considering how much like tumbleweeds we are.

But it has come time to do it again. The same stuff has been repacked into the same large suitcases and more planes are to be boarded. This time taking us to an entirely different coast, to different climates andĀ environmentsĀ for a whole new adventure. Uprooting our lives to replant again as East Coast dwellers. To experience our first full-blown winter, 4 distinct seasons, city living, subways and likely impossibly tiny apartments.

We are moving into a summer sublet in Brooklyn for now. Hopefully we will simply move apartments and not cities once we get my hospital placements, but anything is possible. And you know what, there is a part of me that loves that unknown. That loves the planning and dreaming that comes from being able to go anywhere. Being unattached and the world full of possibilities.

So for now we pray for smooth transitions. We pray that we will love our new home, that I will love the snow in April next year as much as I do now. We pray that this new adventure will challenge us, grow us, and make us even happier.

Yay to new beginnings and new horizons!!

 

Article
May 11, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

Last Day

Thursday was my last day of classes – forever!

Medical school is not over, but the classroom part is done. The lectures and classes and finals are over. Now it is time for the fun stuff. Hospital rotations, patient care, learning by doing. Sure feels like medical school just started. I am 2 exams away from being 1/2 of a doctor! Now to push through one more tough week before a brief vacation and a hardcore summer full or preparing for the most important exam ever. No pressure, right?

Here are some pictures of my class (most of us) from our end of term mini celebration.

Class panorama

Whole Class from above

Article
May 7, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

Two Years

Wedding Day

Two years ago today the greatest adventure of my life started.

An adventure full of joy and happiness, trials andĀ disappointments, and more fun and laughs than any two people could share.

I married a man who laughs off fights, wipes away tears, puts me first above every responsibility no matter the sacrifice. He also is the man who will lazily lounge around on the couch with me all day, eat copious amounts of cheese-dip shamelessly late at night, and make any fun night-outĀ unforgettable.

Tyler, I love you more than you will ever know and I thank the Lord everyday for making you so perfectly for me. Happy 2-years, I am looking forward to MANY more!

First Look

 

Article
April 26, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

A Love for Cows

A lesser known fact about me is that I kinda really like cows. I think they are cool. I say hello to the cows that are often found on our road almost every time we pass them, it never gets old. Tyler thinks I am weird, but its okay. He probably would think I was weird even without the cow thing.

My grandparents raised cows when I was a kid so I think that is why cows just always spark fond memories for me. I used to love running out trying to coax the cows close to the fences so I could pet them and feel the funny feeling of their really long tongues on my hands. And my sister and I used to “help” my grandfather herd cows by running alongside their cow dog. I am sure it was quite adorable.

Baby Cows Anyways, this means the cows around Grenada are something I like. I have yet to be able to convince any of them to let me pet them though. So it was to my delight when one morning I woke up and walked to the front porch to find none other than the two little baby cows that are usually hanging around our apartment in our backyard! The front gate had been left open and the just waltzed in in search of new grass. It was a funny experience to herd out cows from our backyard at 7am in the morning.Walking the cows out

And since this is a post about nothing other than cows, I feel it worth mentioning Tyler and I saw the tiniest, adorable baby cow while hashing recently as well. Momma cow was quite protective of the little one and was not so pleased I don’t think that so many people were trekking through her space. We kept our distance, but it made me quite excited. What can I say, baby things are kindaĀ irresistibleĀ no matter what animal it is.

Cute CowsUs Hashing

Oh, and you can note what happens when Tyler takes a selfie of us, I look microscopic. He may never learn that angling the camera down towards the ground kinda shrinks me…so he looks gigantic and I look teeny. Oh well, we are still cute.

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Less than 3 weeks to go and I will be 1/2 of a doctor!!! 6 days of lecture, 3 exams, countless cups of coffee – we can do this!

Article
April 18, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

Summer Plans

Well, it’s official. We will be NY residents this summer!

While we still don’t know if we will end up there for year 3 (fingers crossed though), we have decided that will be our temporary home for the summer. We were originally looking at moving to Pennsylvania (and had found a cheap cheap 3 bedroom house we were planning on signing the papers for) when some friends of ours that live in Brooklyn mentioned they were subleasing their place for the exact dates we would need. It took us all of 5 minutes to conclude that their tiny apartment in hip Brooklyn would be infinitely better than some college guys house in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania. (Let the record show when we got the pictures for the house, I was NOT impressed. College guys are yucky and have poorly furnished homes with too-big TVs).

So – we are moving to Brooklyn!!!! We are going to be majorly culture-shocked I am sure by the big city. I will be spending most of the first month and a half getting to know all the local coffee-shops (getting my much needed coffee fuel) and finding my study jam in the Brooklyn public library. But, we will at least get to start exploring and IF we do get placed there, it will be INFINITELY easier to start apartment hunting and we will even have a slight semblance of what it is like to live there. Plus, we think it will be much easier to find something fun to do on those rare study nights-off.

Praise God for always providing things. We are equally as happy to bless our sweet friends with someone to rent their place while they are in California for the summer. And we are certain they are happier to have familiar people coming in than strangers. šŸ™‚

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Less than 6 weeks until I board my final plane leaving Grenada (Boo!) and less than 30 days until my last final (YAY)

Article
March 27, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

July 12th, 2013

This is big. This is HUGE! I have officially scheduled the most important day of my career. The single day that will determine what kind of job I will get, what specialty I will do, where we will live – everything!

July 12, 2013!

…July 12th.

This day felt forever away and now it is too close for comfort. But I think I will be ready – I can do it. I will have to live in the library but I can do it.

We should all start praying now. Pray for strength, pray for stamina, pray for wisdom, pray for peace, pray for calm. Pray it will go well and pray that I will remember that everything will be okay no matter what.

106 days to go! Lets do this!

Article
March 23, 2013
by Stefanie Paulson

Our Uncertain Future

So I probably should have written this post a few weeks back, but we have officially sent in ourĀ preferenceĀ form for clinical locations. I am expected to start sometime around mid-August (provided we get the location we desire at least). That should give me about 1 month off as a “break” after studying for board exams. Hopefully we can make time for some good R&R before packing up and moving to where-ever we are headed.

We should find out in late July where we have been placed. We have selected New York area as our number one choice and are really hoping to get placed at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. The neighborhood, the hospital, the location – it is all perfect for us. Nothing is certain, but for now we will keep praying that we get placed in our first pick! And you should pray too! Everything lies in the hands of the placement coordinators. We are so excited and have each shamelessly spent a few too many hours googling all the cool things around our potential new home.

Fingers crossed! Did I mention things are sure getting real super fast? Only 54 more days and this term is over! Although, I must say I am SO looking forward to vacation.