DALLAS: One Bite at a Time: July 2011

I had an interview on June 29th with McLeod Health for a clinical dietitian position. I got all dressed up in my business pant-suit and gave it my all. It went very well and I really want to work there! I will know by the end of July if I get the job. I just got everything put away at Dan's apartment. It took 17 days for my stuff to get here via U-Box. Every now and then I study for the RD Exam....that's right...its not completely over until I pass the exam and become a Registered Dietitian. I have lots of studying ahead of me.

Dan and I went to Surfside Beach for 4th of July weekend. We had a nice ocean-view room. The beach was crazy-busy! People went out there early in the morning to set up their beach chairs and umbrellas and reserve a spot. We got up to watch the sunrise both days and had tons of fun drinking on the beach, body surfing, skim boarding, and eating at yummy restaurants. I watched Dan fire off some fireworks on the beach from a life guard chair. The wind was crazy. The fireworks were cool, but Dan got some minor burn injuries.

It is very hot and humid here. Every day is curly-hair-day. So far, I like this little city called Florence. It has all the stores and restaurants that a big city would. I don't miss the Dallas traffic at all.

One Friday night Dan and I went to Chuck e Cheese to have pizza and play the games. That same Saturday we went to the Carowinds amusement/water park on the North/South Carolina border with Dan's friends to hit up some roller coasters and water slides.

We got a fish and named him Floyd...he's not as active and friendly as Lloyd was, but he'll have to do.

Surfside Beach, SC

Sunset dinner

Skim boarding

A festive Red, White, and Blue drink

After lighting fireworks on the beach

Floyd

6/13/11-6/24/11

The last two weeks of my dietetic internship went by very fast. I worked hard to get all my assignments done and turned in so that checkout on the last day would go quickly.
I had an amazing dietitian to staff for at Presby...thanks Kristin! I exercised many of the clinical skills I learned in the internship because she serves patients with a variety of issues. Most of the patients had gastrointestinal problems or wound healing, but I also got experience with cancer and heart patients. I quickly learned that Mondays and Fridays are crazy, busy days...mainly Fridays. There are lots of patients to see because there aren't any dietitians at the hospital on the weekends and then there are the last minute, unplanned, diet educations to give patients right before they leave. I got my practice, thats for sure! With the excitement of almost being done with the internship, I thought I would randomly look for dietitian jobs in Florence. Go figure, the one place I was hoping would have an opening had a clinical dietitian job posted. I stayed late at the hospital (midnight) a couple nights working hard on my resume and paper in hopes of getting them done by the weekend. I applied for the job on Friday. Unfortunately, I was a few topics short of being done with my paper, but fortunately, I woke up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning and finished...21 pages of Polycystic Kidney Disease = completed! I spent my last weekend in Dallas packing a few things up in my apartment and hanging out with Megan, including a much deserved manicure/pedicure with her and Rachel.
Mom and Dad were sitting in my apartment on Monday when I got home ready to start packing up all my junk. We temporarily moved a couch that someone else put by the dumpster and put it in my living room for extra seating space....this would have been nice the previous 11 months. The next day my apartment looked completely different...boxes and piles everywhere...they worked hard all day. That night some of the interns and I went to Suze Restaurant for a final dinner. We got a taste of many delicious things on the menu, including four desserts. The next night Mom, Dad, and I went out for Mexican food.
Thursday was a busy day. While I was working hard being an intern and having a phone interview, =) Mom and Dad picked Dan up from the airport, dealt with U-Haul, and began packing my belongings into the U-Box. I got done early, helped for a bit, and sent my fish, Lloyd to a better place. Then we all got pretty for the intern graduation dinner. The dinner not only showcases the interns, but also all the preceptors that allowed us to learn from them throughout the year. The evening started off with a cocktail/social hour, then dinner and awards. Dinner: Ceasar salad, tenderloin medalians with wild mushroom ragout, parmesean crusted halibut fillet, shrimp scampi, rissoto, and oven roasted asparagus. Dessert: Chocolate Swiss chalet cake tri-level with Guittard Swiss Chocolate cheesecake topped with White Chocolate Mousse, finished with moist dark chocolate cake, covered with chocolate icing and white chocolate drizzle...yes that was the description of the one and only dessert and it was AMAZING! After a million pictures we left and went to celebrate some more at Humperdink's with Megan and her fiance, Ryan.
Friday morning started early because there was still packing to do. I had to be to the hospital by eleven for a test, lunch, and checkout. After the U-Box was returned, Mom and Dad headed back to Wisconsin and Dan packed up the rest of my car. My last day was unreal feeling and bittersweet. I am glad to be done, but I miss all the great people I was fortunate enough to learn from and became friends with.
Friday evening Dan and I had dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Five Sixty Restaurant at the Reunion Tower in Dallas and then hit the road. Highway 20 from Dallas, Texas to Florence, South Carolina with an over-night stop in Shereveport, Louisianna. It was long, fun, and sleepy at times, but we made it to Florence on Saturday by 10:30 pm.

THANK YOU!!
Thanks to Kristi - You were an incredible internship director, I wish you and your family the best in Denver!
Thanks to all of my dietitian and non-dietitian preceptors - You were all great, I appreciate your time and willingness to share your wealth of knowledge with the interns.
Thanks to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas for having this dietetic internship.
Special Thanks to all my family and friends who read my blog, sent me mail, or had to listen to me complain.
Extra Special Thanks to Mom, Dad, and Sara - Y'all helped me so much - getting to and leaving Dallas, sending me mail, and being super supportive.
Special Thanks to those who visited me while I was in Dallas - Dan, Kristin, Tyler, Sara, Katy, and Kyle
Dan - Thanks for listening, understanding, and traveling to come visit. We survived long-distance, yay! I'm so happy to finally be with you.
To my fellow interns: Alyssa, Amberlee, Anna, Jenn, Kristin, Megan, and Rachel - Thanks for the memories, I wish you all the best in your future as dietetic professionals and I hope to see y'all again sometime. We did it!!!

Good Bye Dallas!