Medicine & Manicures

Traveling with Hartmann Luggage

 

Happy Friday, y’all! Now that I’m back in Charlotte for good, I’m so happy that I get the chance to attend more blogging events and network and meet other local bloggers. Last week, I was lucky enough to attend a fabulous blogger dinner at The Fig Tree in Charlotte. It was hosted by the girls at Hartmann Luggage, an upscale luggage shop located in the Neiman Marcus wing of SouthPark Mall. Let me take a minute to introduce you to my new favorite travel buddy!

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Why I Decided to Become a Physician Assistant


In light of National PA Week, I thought I would take a minute to talk about the “medicine” side of Medicine & Manicures. I actually started this blog as a way to document my time in physician assistant school, which has taken up a big chunk of my life the past two years. With only 65 days until graduation, the idea that I’ll soon be practicing medicine and seeing patients on my own is becoming so much more real! I cannot explain how happy I am that I chose this profession so I thought I would share the process on how I got here.




I originally had the idea of getting into the medical profession because of my mom, who was an oncologist when we were still living in Russia. My grandfather and uncle were also doctors over there, so I guess some of it came naturally. The first PA I ever saw was when I was 15 so I did a little research and thought hey, I could totally do that when I grow up! I was always interested in the sciences and medicine was intriguing. I knew I didn’t want to go the nurse route because I wanted to be the provider and have the chance to diagnose and treat. I also didn’t want to become a physician mostly because of the time spent in school… and residency. 





Fast forward to college. I decided to major in biology so I could do something medical and PA school was always in the forefront of my mind. My grades were good, but not straight A’s and I didn’t have a lot of patient experience. That is one of the challenges of getting into PA school versus med school- programs typically want you to have anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 hands-on patient care hours. I knew I wanted to take a year off before applying so I wouldn’t get burnt out from school and so I could gain some more experience. I still remember to this day when I met with our pre-med advisor at UNC Charlotte. She looked at my transcript and told me that I had a “glimmer of hope” of getting into PA school. Still haunts me to this day. No words of encouragement or guidance, basically just telling me that I’ll never get in. Guess I showed her!




It took me two tries to get in (as it did many of my classmates) but I still remember the day when I got my acceptance email. Of course I cried tears of joy!! It was one of the happiest days of my life, finally knowing that all of my hard work had paid off. Like I have told you many times, PA school has been challenging (aka has pretty much taken over my life) but has also been so much fun. Way more fun than I expected. I think I have my awesome program and amazing roommates to thank for that. I can’t wait to feel all those feelings of happiness and accomplishment as I get my Master’s degree in Physician Assistant practice in just a few short months!





The entire first year gave me a baseline of knowledge. Countless medical conditions, physical exam skills, and medications were drilled into our heads. But the second year during clinical rotations is where we have gotten the chance to apply all that knowledge to real-life situations.





I love seeing patients on my own, getting their history, and trying to figure out what’s wrong with them. I’m also big on providing patient education, especially on preventative medicine. I can’t stress the importance of a yearly physical! I love the fact that I’m not going to have a “desk job” and that my career will provide variety to my workday. It is so crazy to think back to the day when I got my acceptance letter to Campbell University and today, in this moment, I’m sending out my CV and starting the job search. Please send some good vibes my way- going for and interview always makes me a little nervous… but super excited at the same time!


So there it is, my PA journey in a nutshell. It has been a long road but the best part is… I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! If you or anyone you know has any questions about getting into PA school or about the career in general, please feel free to email me at medicineandmanicures@gmail.com. You can also read more about my experiences under the “All Things PA” tab at the top of my blog. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to hug a PA today!







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Weekending: Back to Niagara Falls

Helloooo Monday! One extra large cup of coffee is in order because I’m still catching up from this weekend’s travels. And how about that weather forecast? I’m seeing some sunshine coming up this week and it’s about time!! I’m linking with Biana & Meghan today so let’s jump right into the weekend recap!

This weekend, Ryan and I took another trip to Buffalo, NY. You must be thinking, didn’t you just go to Buffalo? Well… yes. In August, we visited for our friends Nate & Beth’s wedding, which was an absolute blast! This time around, we flew up to Buffalo this weekend to visit Nate and meet up with Ryan’s parents, who also live in upstate New York. No cancelled flights this time but our second flight got delayed on Friday night (thanks Joaquin) so we didn’t get in until 12:30 am. I swear, it never fails that I have problems when I travel up there. Maybe I’m bad luck! Anyways, Saturday we got up early and drove over to Niagara Falls. When I visited in August, Ryan literally drove me there to show me the falls and we had to leave to get ready for the wedding festivities.

This time since we were with Ryan’s parents, we decided to go on Maid of the Mist. This is a boat that takes you into the middle of the horseshoe falls so you get the best view… and also lots of mist and wind. Thank goodness everyone gets a poncho! It was good to go because Ryan’s parents hadn’t been in years, but I think I’ve gotten my Niagara Falls fix for a while! And y’all. It was absolutely freezing!! I mean… it was in the high 40s but with the wind and on and off rain, it wasn’t the best weather conditions. I had on a sweater, a North Face fleece, a scarf, AND a raincoat… and it was still chilly. Needless to say, this southern girl could never make it up north. Only for short bursts of time!


That night we went to dinner at Cole’s, the oldest bar in Buffalo. I decided to mix it up and order a flight of beer which happened to be called the “fruit loop.” How perfect?! They were also offering some Octoberfest dishes so Ryan & I split the goulash and went to bed stuffed.
Ryan’s planned this trip for one main thing- the Giants vs. Bills game. He and the boys left early to head to the stadium and I’m happy to report that the Giants won! Meanwhile, I spent the day with his mom doing fun things like adding to the wedding registry, shopping, and getting lunch at The Cheesecake Factory! Unfortunately, Ryan has to work all week in Syracuse so I traveled back to Charlotte all by my lonesome. It was a pretty low-key weekend and I’m glad that we got to spend some quality time with friends and family!

I hope y’all had a great weekend as well. Hopefully this week will bring lots of sunshine our way!



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Our New Home… Take Two!!


So… I have a little update on our home situation. Remember this post when I was super excited about our perfect future townhouse? Well… we lost it. Needless to say I was pretty devastated. I know it may not seem like a big deal for people, but I was SO excited for our first home. I had told everyone about it and was already planning next years Halloween party for God’s sake!





Long story short- the townhome selling agent called Ryan when a unit became available and said that the original buyer was getting a job transfer and didn’t want the unit anymore. We had to give him an answer by 5pm that day so we jumped on it and Ryan signed the contract and sent in a deposit.





3 weeks go by. We were getting emails about picking out the finishes, getting furniture ideas, and meeting with closet designers. On the way to my mountain trip a few weeks ago, Ryan called and said he had some bad news. I thought he was joking but he said we lost the townhouse. 





Apparently, the original buyer never sent in his termination of sale paperwork and decided that he still wanted the home so technically… it was still his. Our contract was never signed and our check was never cashed. How could this happen?!? Basically, the agent should have never told us the place was available in the first place, or at least should have disclosed that he was still waiting on paperwork. So not fair, but what could we do?





Lucky for us, South End is a part of Charlotte that is growing super quickly and Ryan found out they were building more townhouses with a similar concept just a mile down the road. Hallelujah!!! I am so thankful for him because he was on top of it meeting with the developer and real estate agents and we happened to be the very first sale!! Enter our new townhouse… take two!




 I have to say, I’m pretty excited about this rooftop!





Hopefully this time will work out a little better and I can officially say we are under contract (which both parties have signed)!! We also went to the launch party at Triple C Brewing Co. this weekend and over 10 units had already been sold… I guess the early bird gets the worm! We should be ready to move in next fall and I can’t wait to share more details with y’all!





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Wedding Wednesday: The Bridesmaid Dresses

Now that I’m back in Charlotte for good, it’s time to jump back into wedding planning.

I still need to decide on a month-of planner as well as a cake… and linens… and practice my calligraphy. I’ve been slacking over here! However, I have checked one big thing off the to-do list. Bridesmaid dresses have arrived!! Remember this post when I was deliberating all the styles and colors like a crazy person? Well, go figure that I didn’t pick any of those dresses.

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I actually decided on the “Megan” silk chiffon dress from J.Crew. The dresses were originally $365 (woof! I would never pay that) but you know J.Crew and their sales, so my girls were able to get a really good deal. I was struggling with finding the perfect color and after perusing Pinterest for tons of pictures of the “dusty shale” color, I decided these would be perfect for my wedding day! It definitely feels good to have one more thing checked off the list 🙂

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Can’t wait to share more wedding updates with y’all. Thanks for reading and have a fabulous Wednesday!





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Favorite Fall Top Under $13







Happy Monday, friends! Does anyone else agree that Old Navy is knocking it out of the park this season? Along with this plaid dress that I posted a few weeks ago, I recently picked up this little sweater-knit top. It’s made of knit material, but is super lightweight and I think it’s perfect to wear on its own or layer under your favorite cardigan or jacket. And y’all… it’s SOOO soft. I’ve been wearing it a little too much lately but I can’t help it when it’s this comfy. Plus, you can’ beat that $13 price tag. It also comes in a dark teal and oatmeal color and is currently on sale so grab one (or all three!). 


I just this month’s Rocks Box in the mail and inside came these pretty earrings- I love the spear shape and the pretty lapis stone. I just looked at my history and this was my 14th box!! I’m still going strong and love getting my new baubles to wear every month. If you want to try it out, get your first month FREE with code: kristinaxoxo. I promise you’ll love it 🙂


Old Navy knit top (comes in 3 colors) // Jenny Bird earrings via Rocks Box // CoH jeans


leopard loafers // Tory Burch bag, old // Gorjana necklace and cuff // tortoise watch







SHOP THE POST



The weather was less than ideal in Charlotte this weekend- gray and misty every.single.day. I did end up having to reschedule my engagement pictures because it’s calling for rain all the way through next Tuesday… yuck! Hopefully I can get them done by mid-October and check off the next thing on my wedding to-do list… save-the-dates! Hope y’all have a great Monday 🙂





Linking with Biana & Meghan.





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