A weekend in Chicago – April 2010

John and I went to Chicago in April. John has been many times for work but I have never been. One of John’s favorite photographers, Jerry Ghionis, held a workshop in Chicago and John had signed up to attend it. John had an amazing time at the workshop and you can read about his experience Here:  Jerry Ghionis Workshop.

The weekend prior to the workshop John and I went down to spend the weekend together in Chicago.  We had a fun time being tourists and enjoying the city. We took an early Saturday morning flight so that we would have the entire day to play.  We went and saw Navy Pier, took the Architecture Boat Tour (highly recommended), saw Millennium Park, and walked through the Art Institute of Chicago.  When we weren’t seeing the sites, we were consuming delicious food (Sushi, Indian, and Chicago deep dish were among our favorites).  One thing we didn’t plan for was the cutting wind. I only brought the brown sweater seen in every picture but wish I had planned for cooler weather. It was a weekend of memories! 

John and I were waiting at a bus stop so we grabbed a shot of each of us.

Navy Pier

John always makes me laugh when he takes my picture. He’s kind of a dork but I love him! I  think John is pretending to laugh here, hopefully… Yes, we have stretchy foreheads ;) I seriously love springtime. Living through Minnesota winters makes Spring so much better.  From the architectural boat tour we were able to see the famous corncob buildings, they are in just about every movie shot in Chicago (i.e. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Tommy Boy) One of our favorite things to do when we are in a city is to walk around and explore… and of course take pictures. John’s quote from his blog: “This guy was a blinker, but I finally got him.”  We had so much fun sitting at the Millennium Bean (Cloud Gate). Looking at these pictures brings out my OCD though, I just want to wipe off the fingerprints…. LOVE this shot of the sunset reflection in the bean    We stayed at the Palmer House. It was a neat, old hotel with a lot of charm.

I absolutely loved the Art Institute of Chicago. It was an amazing museum with so many great pieces. The bonus was the Matisse exhibit. We couldn’t take photos inside, but here was the entrance to the exhibit.

I was amazed how big this painting is in real life! So cool!! (Georges Seurat – A Sunday on LaGrande Jatte) Van Gogh…amazing!  Picasso. Did I mention I was in heaven? I wish we had more time that day. Nice to finally see Grant Wood’s American Gothic.

Emily Sharpe, M.D.

Yikes, I wrote this post back in May but never posted it b/c I hadn’t added the pictures yet. Better late than never!

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of becoming a doctor. My Great Aunt Lynette gave me a book when I entered Kindergarten where I could write about each year in school. In this book I included my teacher, friends, favorite subject, and what I wanted to be when I grew up. In fourth grade I wrote I wanted to be a “a anethesioligist,” and in fifth grade I wanted to be “a pediatrition.” (Fortunately my spelling has improved.) As a little girl I would go do rounds with my dad at the hospital to see the new babies. I loved this time together. As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to go to medical school and become a physician.

When I started medical school four years ago I couldn’t believe that I had been accepted and I was one step closer to my dream. However, four years seemed so far away and the task of completing medical school was overwhelming. Fortunately I had the help and support of many to help me through. I’ve mentioned before the great friends I made in medical school. I cannot imagine these last four years without them. They turned many frustrating experiences into laughter and good memories. We have also made great friends outside of school that we will always cherish. My mom has been an amazing support. She understood how busy I was and although she lived close (80 miles), I never felt pressure to see her. She was amazing and would come up to visit, take us out to dinner, and she’s even cleaned my bathroom a few times. Thank you mom for always believing in me. And of course John, my love and my best friend. I could not have done it without him. I don’t know how he put up with me at times but he was always there. Never complaining about getting groceries or making dinner, he definitely put in more than his share at times. He also sacrificed his dream of going full time in photography and continued working a corporate job when he wasn’t happy with what he was doing. I could not have gotten through medical school without him. And thank you to the countless other family and friends who have supported and loved me and put up with me during this time. Well enough with the mushy thank yous.

The past couple weeks (and maybe longer) when I have thought about graduating from medical school, I have gotten a little teary-eyed. It’s so amazing that this goal that I have worked so hard, for so many years was about to become reality. The hours I studied in high school, college, and of course med school have finally paid off. I was about to become Dr. Emily Sharpe.

So now it’s time for the pictures… lots of them!

The Syncytium minus one.Dr. Stillman taught us cardiac auscultation so I loved that he brought his stethoscope for his graduation talk! Our keynote speaker was amazing. I was expecting graduation to be boring but he was far from it. I found myself laughing many times. Plus he had some great advice! You can see one of our deans laughing on the side of this picture. There was a point she was laughing so hard she was wiping tears. Here he is teaching how to sleep through meetings… You had to be there. The hooding ceremony. It was the first time they called me Dr. Emily Sharpe. It was kinda cool.Of course I glance back at John as I cross the stage. The photographer has trained me well.So it was a bummer because it rained the entire day! But of course we didn’t let that ruin our pictures!   Nikki and MeNikki, Mom, Me, Andrew, Grandpa Lafe Me & Grandpa LafeMom & Me My hot hubs! I love you so much!!   Jason, Nikki, Mom, Me, AndrewMy dad came out for graduation. It was really nice to spend some time with him. It meant a lot to me that he came out to support me and see me graduate. Oh I miss the Roses. They moved in May to California. Thanks for coming! But move back now… Thomas, Kristin, Me, and John       We wanted a picture of all 6 of us in our cap and gowns. However it was crazy busy and hard to find each other. Fortunately we were able to find Erin on her way out. She had already turned in her cap and gown but we were able to grab one of us all together!!

Thanks to everyone who has helped and supported me. I could not have done this alone! Happy Day!