Pine trees for palm trees

It's 3:15 a.m. in Miami and there's no chance of sleeping tonight. I made it safe and sound here and surprisingly my bags weighed 37lbs each, which I was certain they would be well over the 50lb weight limit. It was one of the hardest days for me. I packed up my bags Friday morning and spent the last few hours I had with my family, pets, and my boyfriend. It's impossible to not cry while saying goodbye and although I'm a strong person and can hold my emotions on the inside well, that wasn't the case for me. I literally broke down as soon as we drove out of my neighborhood and the whole ride to the airport I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I don't know, maybe this is normal, in that case it can only get better from here on out right? Wrong. I didn't get the choice of peanuts, pretzels, or cookies on either of my flights. Must be an American Airlines thing. Delta for sure wouldn't sacrifice my hunger. 

Which then of course, I was the fortunate passenger who had the not-so-quiet-always-has-something-to-say person sitting next to me on my flight from MSP to Chicago. Sweet girl, and not a day over 21. She basically told me her life story: from Rochester, plays golf, in fact she plays golf so well that she was awarded a $30,000 scholarship to some school (idk I wasn't listening) in Wisconsin and has been to my home town of chaska a couple times to play at hazeltine and the town course but then she "didn't really care much about golf in college" so she quit. Lost her scholarship. Then landed a new degree pursuing nursing at UW Lacrosse. I only remember that because I've been to Lacrosse. Lovely town. We talked about boys, breakups, and dating. I told her to never give up on your dream or happiness and that she deserves what she wants in life (as anyone should). That led to her admitting she wasn't going to marry this guy (even after dating him for almost 3 years) because he wants to do tree work the rest of his life and she doesn't want to be the sole provider since she clearly would be making more money than he will. The hell did I get myself into? Luckily we landed in chi-town and she was off to London and then to Scotland. I wonder what Scotland is like for New Years? 

Before I knew it I was back on a plane bound for Miami. Peace. Quiet. Dark. Then came the turbulence. Almost as bad as the turbulence coming home from Alaska which made Ben sick as a dog. Haha I was laughing on the inside but seriously, poor guy was white as a ghost. I only suffered a migraine. What's new, Stacie would understand how I felt. Again, no peanuts, pretzels, or cookies. Anyone that knows me when I'm tired and starving I act like Aretha Franklin on those snickers commercial. 

First thing I see when we land in Miami, palm trees. An unfamiliar sight to see as opposed to the tall pine trees back home. I guess I'll have to get use them. Finally in warmer climate. However, I heard wind chills this weekend back home are going to be so unbearable you wonder why anyone chooses to live there in the winter. Oh sure we Minnesotans don't ya know just love such a beautiful place. 

My bags made it to Miami without any problems. I loaded them up on a smartcarte, found a Subway, scarfed down a $10 sand which, and made new friends with a few Rossies I found. We decided to search all over MIA for a place to sleep, along with the many thousands of others doing the same. Did you know MIA has a hotel in the airport? Neat huh? Well we found four vacant chairs somewhere in the middle of the airport, I'm guessing international side, and set up "camp" for the night. It's impossible to sleep in a chair let alone in the middle of the night, at an airport, when the air conditioning kicks on. I learned from traveling to Costa Rica to stash a blanket in my carry on. 

It's almost 4 a.m. and I can't get myself to sleep. In a couple of hours I'll re-check my bags, go through security yet again, and find my gate which then I'll meet some of the rest of my Rossie family. 

12 more hours and I'll be in St. Kitts. Crazy. 

It's actually happening. 

Counting down the hours

It's crazy how fast one week can fly by. My last day of work was last Saturday. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone but I'm starting learn that saying "see you later" is a lot easier to deal with. We had a fun lunch at Jake's, shared stories and good laughs, and I received a few gifts along with good luck cards. I'm going to miss my Chan Vet crew so much and I'll miss working in the clinic although I know I'll be back working on the scene in a few years. ;) I ended my night with a Christmas dinner at Buca with the Guilfoil's. It's always a good time with the family and there's never a dull moment. Good news was spread across the table but for now I'll keep the excitement to myself. Sunday night Ben and I enjoyed a delicious halibut dinner made famously by the Eiden's. It's always a fun time hanging out with them and there's always a laugh to be had every moment. They are one of my biggest supporters and in fact I realized that after this weekend, I had spent it with almost every one of my supporters. One of the best weekends by far. I wouldn't be here or reached this far if it wasn't for all of them. So thank you for always believing in me and pushing me to never giving up on my dream.

As the days were flying by before you know it it was Christmas. Of course, it wouldn't be Christmas in Minnesota without a snowfall on Christmas Eve. I learned a great message in church that night that God has the power to make things possible through the unexpected. You can change and there's always time in life to begin a new you. It may seem impossible or unexpected of you but through God it can and will happen. Christmas morning was fun opening up gifts with the family. My dad gave me a new stethoscope, a Littmann Cardiology III. Probably one of the best ones to have for a vet student. The Schrempp's hosted Christmas at their house and my dog Skyy was fortunate enough to join me in all of the fun. She loved the attention from everyone but I think she was a little overwhelmed by the end of the night. Needless to say, I had a wonderful time with Ben's family. They're always making me feel welcomed and always engaging in conversations about my school. I feel very fortunate to know them and to have them in my life. I'll miss them all so much.

Before I know it, it's Thursday. I'm pretty much packed for the most part but I always have the feeling of forgetting something. Oh wait, I'm leaving everything behind. It's hard enough to explain to everyone that I'm attending Veterinary School in the Caribbean but it's even more hard to make them realize that this isn't spring break for me where I'll be bellied up at some tiki bar on the beach. I'm literally giving up a lot to pursue my dream. I realize this is what I'm meant to do and where I belong and it just so happens to be on an island in the Caribbean. Just know that my workload is just as much as any vet student in or outside of the United States. I will enjoy my time nonetheless and I'm super excited to have visitors in the future. A list of things I look forward to doing in my spare time: zip lining, hiking Mt. Liamuiga, snorkeling, spear fishing, deep sea fishing, horseback riding tours, swimming with the sea turtles in Frigate Bay, and making friends with the local bartenders....they may be my savior at the end of finals.

Crossing my fingers my two duffle bags don't surpass the 50lb bag limit. The next time you'll hear from me I hope to have my toes in the water, ass in the sand........you're welcome for getting ZBB stuck in your head. :)

Oh my God I'm going to Vet School

Well it finally hit me. I'm going to Vet School. Don't get me wrong, I've been excited about this since the day I found out I was accepted to the program but honestly I feel like I've been lost in a dream this whole time. I woke up this morning knowing that I only had one more week left here. One more week to get everything packed, spend time with family, my boyfriend, friends, and of course my pets. I went to work knowing this was my last Friday assisting with surgery, the last time monitoring patients, and the last time sterilizing surgery packs...at least for awhile that is. But what hit me the most was saying goodbye to some of my co-workers as Saturday is my official last day of work. I didn't think it would be hard for me but it was. I'm a sucker for crying and the second I see anyone else doing it, it's instant waterworks for me. I kept my cool and managed to not shed a tear, that is until I walked out the back door to my car and drove home. I still have one more shift to work and I'm already crying and that's only from saying goodbye to a couple people. They are like family to me no matter what. I've worked there for the last five and a half years but it seems like forever. Maybe it does because I've made some of the greatest friendships over the years but also because I've known some of the Doctors I've worked with since I was just a toddler and my whole life I've dreamed of becoming a veterinarian mostly because I looked up to them. Little did I know I would land a job at the Chanhassen Veterinary Clinic my freshman year of college working alongside the same veterinarians I shadowed when I was just a kid. I hope one day to be half the person that they are. Their compassion and professionalism towards an animal's health and well being is something that I carry deeply in my heart and I strive to fill the same shoes they once walked in. I know my last day will be bittersweet nonetheless and I can't wait for my going away celebration with my co-workers after work on Saturday. I had a going away party with my friends last week and it was a blast to say the least. I'm so lucky and so blessed to have some of the most amazing friends in my life who would go far and beyond planning a going away party for me. Many friends showed up, from those that I see on a regular basis to those that I haven't seen in years. It was exactly what I needed. I keep friendships near and dear to me and to see so many people that showed up to my party was so humbling to me. It meant so much to me to see everyone that words can't even begin to describe but I couldn't be any more thankful to have such wonderful, supportive, and loving friends in my life.

So yes, I'm going to vet school and I'm moving away. I have so much to look forward to in life, it's crazy to think about. God always has a plan for you and He had a funny way of planning my life. For as adventurous, daring, and outgoing as I am there was no way he was going to make my life easy. Spend four years earning my Bachelor's degree and spend another four earning my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the U of MN? No way. I needed excitement, something new, somewhere far, and where I would find peace with where I ended up. I've always lived my life to the fullest and I never regret anything. Everything happens for a reason and what's meant to be will be. For some reason He didn't want to keep me here in MN, instead he wanted me to go travel to a distant place to pursue my dream. I worked hard, no, I worked damn hard to get to where I am now. I rarely give up on things that I set my heart to. I will try every reasoning under the sun before giving up on something and believe me I will not give up. It is a huge relief to finally say "I'm going to vet school." Imagine something you've looked forward to for the last 25 years; studied your brains out, losing out on sleep and the "good years" of college, shed blood, sweat, and tears getting there and finally...finally after working so hard your whole life you're there. I'm on cloud nine.

Seven days. That's all that I have left here until I begin my long journey. I can't wait to meet my new family in St. Kitts. Building long lasting relationships with fellow colleagues, professors, and who knows, maybe the bartenders at the bars on the strip...yeah, it's going to happen. Because if you know me well enough, I make friends from all over the world. I also can't wait to have visitors and explore the island life with me, of course though when I'm on break because believe me, I won't have time to wipe my own ass since I'll be studying my life away and will have a midterm every week. Yes, every week.

My last day of working at the Chan Vet is tomorrow. :( It's hard to grasp but I hope to be back some day, but with a higher title. ;)

Good news! My packages have arrived to the island. Huge relief!

It all started with an idea

This is where it began, when I made the decision to apply to Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. I was fed up with the overwhelming competition of applying to vet schools in the United States. It was one excuse after another: "Your grades are great but try getting a higher score on the GRE to boost your potential.", "You have a lot of experience working in the veterinary medical field but try working more with cattle or horses to help make you more competitive." The truth is, veterinary medicine is one of the most competitive fields to get into in America. It is actually easier to get into Med school than it is Vet school. With only 28 Veterinary schools in the United States and the majority of them holding a class size of 80-100 students, the chances of a student applying and getting accepted into a veterinary school is about 7-10%. I was growing impatient when I spent two summers studying every second for the GRE exam, obtaining a high score, and still didn't advance to a formal interview as part of the application process for vet school. So I researched different veterinary schools outside of the United States to look at option B. It sounded crazy to me at first, packing my life away, moving out of the country, studying veterinary medicine for a few years away from home, leaving everything known to me behind, and then I realized how amazing of an experience that would be. I came across Ross University in St. Kitts, West Indies. Where the heck is that? Well it's a small island in the Caribbean. That was enough for me to fill out my application right then and there. I had weird, crazy, nervous, and excited emotions when I sent my application in. I actually didn't tell many people at first, only a select few knew at the time. Time went by and I tried my best to not focus on the fact that I applied to a vet school out of the country for fear and excitement that I might get an interview. And then one day I received an e-mail from admissions congratulating me on getting an interview. I was at work that night and instantly went into shock, not saying a word to anyone. Then the mass texts to family and close friends were sent informing of my interview which was held in Denver, CO and was three days away. I frantically booked a flight after contemplating to myself that I could just drive myself there but thank God for the Guilfoil's who helped me fly via buddy pass. That same night I started studying Vet school interview questions up until the moment of. I was so nervous, I literally was sick to my stomach. But I nailed it. Two weeks later I was sitting in the Sitka airport on my way home after a memorable trip to Alaska with my boyfriend and I missed a phone call from the admissions office while going through security. I wasn't sure if I should call them back right away or when I get home but I worked my butt off so hard to get to this point I couldn't waste another second not knowing. As people were boarding the plane I made the call to the admissions office and spoke to my advisor who interviewed me. Without any further ado I heard the words "Congratulations Heather, you've been accepted to our Veterinary Medicine program!" And the shower of tears fell from my eyes. I ran to my boyfriend and jumped in his arms squealing of joy informing him of my acceptance. It was one of the best days of my life. I've wanted to be a veterinarian since the day I was born and regardless of the competition, intense coursework, and going through the process of reapplying I wasn't going to give up on my dream. Sadly, a lot of students will especially after their first semester of undergraduate school. I was determined to get in no matter what and that day in Sitka, Alaska my dreams came true. It was only a matter of time before my family and friends heard of my exciting news and so did the questions of "Where is St. Kitts?", "Why did you apply there instead of here?", "You're moving away?" "What about your pets?", "What's going to happen between you and Ben?" Some people think I'm crazy for going to school there and others envy me. I couldn't be happier for myself to start this new chapter in my life and finally begin my dreams of becoming a veterinarian. I've waited my whole life for this moment. But believe me when I say I won't be living the luxury life. Obtaining a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree is more intensive than you think. I'll be working my heart out to do what I love and am passionate about but it's not about puppies and kitties all day. We aren't in it for the money contrary to popular belief, instead we strive to provide your loving pets with the most professional care as if they were our own only to deal with some pet owners who think we aren't doctors, we don't know anything, and only want their money. It's very stressful nonetheless but we still love our profession regardless. This is the life that I chose for myself and I couldn't be more excited for it. So here's to the late nights of not sleeping, eating, knowing what day it is, or showering for that matter. And so it begins, packing my life away into two suitcases.