4th year medical school update

So i figured I should create a blog entry to make sure some my thoughts are included. Tammy has done great at updating our blog and keeping the memories alive. So, this is my 4th year of medical school update.
So I applied for 50 residency programs and I received 8 invitations for interview: University of Utah (I rotated there so perhaps was a curtesy), West Virginia Charleston (I rotated there), Texas Tech El Paso, University of Toledo, Sisters of Charity in Buffalo NY, University of Missouri Kansas City, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, and Saint Francis Care in Hartford CT. Tammy was able to come to my last interview in Hartford CT and we liked it. Although it probably would not be our top choice, mostly due to how far it is and the crime, it would be overall ok. We spent and extra day in the city and we just hung out. It was nice to have a few days alone with her to just spend time together. I will be submitting my ranking list in January 15 so I will post again with my rank list. It has been a long process and its anxiety provoking to know that its not over yet.  I of course, hope to match regardless of where but we sure to end up in our top choice.
Anyhow, in the mid time, I am doing a rotation in Orthopedic Surgery in Saint George with Dr. Anderson. I am hardly there as I have been traveling to interviews so although I am basically not there, it has been good and he has been a good doctor to work with. It is definitely annoying having to set up rotation and always feel like I am begging to be there. I am honestly tired and ready to be done. I am hoping to get the approval for an ER rotation in Cedar city as I would have to go far away if this one does not come through. I have been trying to get it schedule but once again...its hard to get anyone to talk to me, let alone accept having a student with them. I always thought that physicians would like to teach but often times it seems its a burden rather than a privilege. I am hoping that when my time comes to teach I will be more approachable. Anyhow, I am very anxious about this rotation but I have emailed, called, etc and now I just have to wait....
After the ER rotation I have a pediatric rotation set up in Cedar and hopefully I can do a 2 week rotation in Hemonc before I have to leave the family again for a month to go to Las Vegas. It should be my last month of being away as Cedar city does not really have a decent ICU to learn from. I actually set it up for PICU which should be interesting and probably more fun than regular ICU. Then I have two week of something?? hopefully wilderness med and then I will be DONE!!!
Match day this year is March 20 (Friday), we actually get an email of whether we matched somewhere March 16 but we get the actual location on the 20th. We are still trying to figure out how we are going to rank our choices. Part of me wants to rank the University of Utah as my number one choice because there is some feeling of "its a good program", "sounds a bit more prestigious", etc but nothing really impressive. My gut feelings tell me to consider El Paso as my top choice cause I think I felt more welcomed and the cost of living would be better. Although the salary is the lowest from the sites I interviewed at, they offered free insurance and free meals. For some it would not be a bid deal but $600 per month for insurance and the convenience to have food each day for free is tempting. The University of Missouri Kansas city is a pretty good option too. Nice mixture of hospitals, better salary but not the perks of insurance and food. I think there is something about my ego that is getting in my way. Perhaps I am feeling like "El Paso" sounds like a lower status than lets say the"University of Utah" but really I don't think it would matter in the long term. Texas is a good state and I think I would get great experience in El Paso. Tammy and I have a lot to think about.

Summer 2014 part 2

Update from our summer in pictures part 2:

We hiked Emerald Pools in Zion. We hiked to the lower and middle pools.

Malachi does pretty well in the backpack. Adrian is good and if Malachi starts to get fussy Adrian will try to entertain/play with him.

Levi liked to look at the tunnels that ran under the trail. He definitely liked the water best.

Malachi liked the water best too. It was the only time he was out of the carrier.

Levi has a hard time keeping his shoes on when he plays.

 Levi got his shoes wet in the water and then had a really hard time when the dirt was sticking to them. So he and I waded across the Virgin River to wash his shoes off. This was probably his favorite part of the whole hike.

We skipped naps so we could play and both boys conked out on the drive home.

We went to the Iron County Fair Demolition Derby. We thought the boys might enjoy watching cars crash and boy were we right. They loved it. They loved the crashing, cars getting stuck, cars smoking and catching fire and the small car races.

We didn't not stay the whole time and saw more small car races than the actual derby, but it was a hit. Levi very frequently zooms his toy cars around and crashes them and he'll tell me "like in the demolition derby."

Malachi got stitches again. Poor kid. He face planted it into the bookshelf in our living room. Luckily, Adrian just called up the Dermatologist in town who he just finished rotating with, and who is his Elder's Quorum President, and he stitched Malachi up in jiffy, and for free! Five stitches by his eye. Unfortunately, a couple weeks later he somehow fell and sliced his skin in the exact same spot but next to the other eye. This laceration did not need stitches, but now he has symmetrical scars.

We went to the Iron County Fair Carnival. We spent way too much, but the boys enjoyed the rides. Levi's favorite was the Farris Wheel. He went on it twice. We took Malachi on the Farris Wheel and he would start to whine every time we got to the top. He did it every time we went around and around. After we finished with rides we walked around the tent booths and there was a train ride by the booths that Levi wanted to ride. We didn't want to fork out more money for the ride so Levi threw a fit and we just left. Had we known about the train ride first we would not have spent as much money on the other rides because Levi probably would have loved the train ride the most.

We hiked Long Hollow one evening with my dad. Levi got tired so my dad gave him a shoulder ride.

Malachi rode in the backpack the whole time. His favorite part was the twinkie afterwards.

We went to the tunnel up Cedar Canyon that the creek runs through. It was really a cool place with lots of pools to play in. We walked up the creek a ways and back down. It was a fun place to play!

Adrian spontaneously came home with some beautiful flowers for me!! I'm sure a lucky girl :)

 After every time it rains we go out and splash in the puddles. It rained hard one day and we found a huge puddle in the baseball field.

The kids always get a nice warm bath after their puddle hopping adventures.

We went up to Yankee Meadows and were very surprised to see that the lake was very low. So we played in a meadow by the Lake and enjoyed the beauty of the mountains.

We've been up to Woods Ranch a few times to play and picnic. The boys like to explore and also have a fire in the mountains.

We hiked in Kolob Canyon. We did a short 1 mile loop to a lookout. 

The boys were a bit tired from a day in St. George, but we had fun!

We frequently get the soccer balls out and go play. Malachi likes to push the ball around while riding his bike.

Levi went to his first movie in the theatre. Adrian took him to the dollar theatre to see How to Train your Dragon 2. He loved it.

Malachi has a mind of his own and is very stubborn about being independent.

Summer 2014 part 1

Here's an update of our summer in 2 parts not in chronological order at all. 

Adrian, my dad and Neal hiked Mystery Canyon in Zion. They went in August sometime. Adrian has done the hike many times, but it was first for my dad and Neal.

Here's just as they were about to start their decent into the canyon.

 One of the 12 repels.

Adrian going down the longest repel of 140 feet into Mystery Springs.

Here's the last repel that ends up in the Narrows.

At the bottom of the last repel standing in the Narrows. They had lots of people who were hiking the Narrows stop and watch them repel down this last repel. Adrian went first and when he finished all the bystanders clapped at his performance. Neal was next and as he got down a handful of people clapped. My dad was last and when he got down nobody clapped. They thought it was quite comical.

We hiked to Cascade Falls near Duck Creek. We started out thinking there would be no water at the falls since no water was draining out of Navajo Lake. But, to our surprise and delight, there was water with a small waterfall at the end.  It had been a while since I had hiked this trail and I was in awe at how pretty it was. The red rock and dark green pines made the views beautiful.

After hiking Cascade falls, we hopped on over to the Ice Cave. It was a big hit. Levi loves caves. And, even being the middle of the summer, there was ice in it.

We hiked the Bristlecone Pine trail. I believe it's under a mile and it was the perfect length for these kiddos to hike. Usually we take a backpack and haul Malachi, but he hiked this whole trail.

Adrian picked some flowers and gave them to me. Levi copied him and tugged up some flowers and gave them to me as well. Notice the roots on the flowers. I'm lucky to have some great boys to spend my life with :)

We took some food and had a picnic on the bridge overlooking Zion. It was a fun time.

We're probably checking out some kind of bug.

Even though the hike was short, it still took us over and hour to hike. These boys like to explore and play with every opportunity that comes their way.

We went up to my family's ranch on Cedar Mountain. We did not camp, we just went to play. These boys love mud and water.

They both love 4-wheeler rides and this little 4-wheeler was just their size.

We hiked Hidden Haven in Parowan Canyon right after Adrian got back from his trip to Mexico. We thought it was just 1 mile, but it ended up being about 2. We did not take our carrier for Malachi and the last 1/2 mile Adrian carried him and just booked it to the car as fast as he could.

It was very beautiful. It had rained earlier that day and everything was moist.

Their was no water at the waterfall. But we did cross some small streams along the way that the boys played in.

Malachi loves motorcycle and 4 wheeler rides with my dad. When he hears them start up he will run as fast as he can to them and beg for a ride. When we see any kind of a motorcycle or 4 wheeler driving by he will say "grandpa" and reach his arms out indicating he wants a ride.

September 6th we had the first annual Bulloch Family 5K! We started at the Bicentennial Park and ran up the Canyon Trail for 1.5 miles then turned around and headed down. 

Adrian's a stud and he pushed our 2 kiddos in the stroller the whole way.

Here I am at the finish line. My time was 30.09 minutes.

Adrian was just 4 minutes behind me.

We had some goodies afterwards!

Adrian went to Mexico for 2 weeks in July. It had been 3.5 years since he had seen any of his family. He spent most of his time with his parents and brother. Then spent his last day visiting his grandpa and extended family.

Before his brother got to his parents house, they took a trip to Gunajuato.

Omar was able to bring his daughter with him.

Adrian said it was great to see his family, but hard to see the circumstances in which they live.

He really praised his mother's cooking when he returned.

Here's Adrian with his grandpa and uncles.

We took a spontaneous trip up to the "C" on the mountain one evening.

We hiked down the trail for a bit and soaked in the goodness/beauty of the mountain.

Papa's boys. They always fight over who gets papa and one always cries when they have to settle for me.

Adrian made the boys a mud puddle to play in in our backyard. It was a big hit.

These boys always end up naked.

This scene occurs on a daily basis at our house. The boys tear off the pillows and cushions of the couch and make a big pile to jump into.

They have tons of fun doing it and every night after they go to bed Adrian and I have to put the couch back together again.