A glimpse

At some point, I think I will do an entire series based on the "Day in the Life of a Dental Student", but for now I thought I would just give you guys a glimpse of my schedule. But first, here is an OOTD for you. These pants are probably a little on the casual side, but because I chose to go into lab to practice before class, I wanted to be comfortable. By the way, I took these photos in the dental simulation lab-it seemed fitting since I'm beginning to spend so much time in there. 

A nagging voice...

Today marked the completion of another exam and I am always happy to have that over with. My school structures our exams to be multiple choice because the dental boards, which is a national exam that every dental student in the country is required to pass in order to practice dentistry is a multiple choice exam. Our exams are also computerized. Therefore, you receive your raw score right after the test and then later in the day you receive your adjusted/final score. The adjusted score is based on the removal of questions that the majority got incorrect or miscoded questions.

Last Call for Wool Skirts

Happy Monday! Normally, I would not be so excited about the start of the week, especially when it begins with 7 hours of lecture, but husband will be here at the end of the week. Though its not as nice here as it was this past weekend-it is definitely getting a lot warmer. Therefore, I thought I would squeeze in a few more winter clothes before the cold weather is gone for good because while I will not miss freezing my butt off, I will definitely miss my winter wardrobe.

Pretty as can "Bee" : Breaking All the Rules

It's amazing what a good night of sleep and warm weather can do for your attitude. It is supposed to hit the 70's here today and you can feel the happiness in the air. This is the first day that I was able to take photos outside in the morning. Not only was there enough light, but it is already so nice outside. I could actually wear a dress without tights. Not that I don't love my tights in every color, but I don't love winter and I am happy to pack them away as soon as allowable.

Counting Your Blessings

I'm writing this post after spending 10 and a half hours in dental lab. We spent the day working on preparations to remove Class 5 simulated caries. In English, that means removing cavities that are located near the gums. Then I stayed after class to get in some additional practice. Unfortunately, this wasn't my longest day this week. I have been getting sick and endured a lot of late nights in preparation for this weeks exam. It's been one of those kind of weeks. You know the ones that you can't wait to be over so you can celebrate with a hot bath and a bottle of wine. It is times like this when I find it hardest, yet the most important time to count my blessings. Yes, I'm exhausted and yes I want nothing more than some time for myself. However, I am grateful and lucky to be considered a dental student. So if you will excuse me, I am going to go get some rest so I can get up early tomorrow and do it all over again.

My Typodont

Valentine's Day Weekend Recap

I hope that everyone had a great Valentine's day and let the ones you care about know just how special they are to you. As promised I have a full weekend recap of how my husband and I celebrated this year so be prepared because this post will be long and photo heavy. So let's get started....By some miracle I randomly did not have class on Friday (though we do have class on President's Day). This worked out perfectly since the snow forced husband to reschedule his flight for Friday morning. After I picked him up from the airport, we grabbed a quick lunch and then went antiquing. How awesome is my husband? I had been wanting to go to this vintage store for months, but never had time when I was in the city. The store turned out to be 3 stories and we spent well over an hour there. I frequent vintage stores often to hunt for treasures, but I've never had that much fun. Thank you husband. Then later that night we headed out to dinner. Here is what I wore:

Skirt/Top/Cardigan: J Crew Factory 

Necklace: Banana Republic Outlet
Bracelet: Anthropologie 

Shoes: Sole Society Whitney Pump

 

Valentine's Day Inspiration #3-Oversized Bows

Happy Valentine's Day! Today I'm sharing with you my OOTD from yesterday. We had a full day of lecture so I wanted to be comfy and warm so I went with cords. I paired it with this gorgeous wool statement sweater. It is extremely rare of me to make a clothing purchase at full price, but I made an exception for this gorgeous bow sweater and I am glad that I did because it quickly sold out.

Shirt: J Crew Bow Sweater
Pants: Lucky Brand Jeans via TJMaxx
Shoes: BearTrap Pearce Boots
Jewelry: Fossil Watch 

Making Sacrifices

Good Morning All. Sorry about the lack of a Valentine's Day outfit post yesterday, but I didn't actually get dressed. We didn't have class until 10am and we were only at school long enough to take our weekly exam and then afternoon classes were cancelled because the snow. No worries-I am wearing a Valentine's day inspired outfit today, which I will post tomorrow and then I will give you a full weekend recap of what the husband I do to celebrate Valentine's day. So if you are waiting for another outfit post check back first thing tomorrow morning.

As for today I want to talk about one of the most important aspects of my life right now-dental school. I am currently a first year dental student (dental school is 4 years total). I have class everyday and attendance is mandatory. Class is from 8am-5pm with an hour for lunch. Some days we have 8 hours of lecture, other days is 8 hours of lab, and some days are a mix. Because we are in class so much-we receive a lot of material on a weekly basis. Therefore, we have an exam every Wednesday. Yep, that's right I have an exam every week, which normally covers the amount of material I might have received in college for the entire semester. Here is the list of the material that was covered on my exam this past week:

Immunology

• Antigen Presentation and Processing 
• T Cell Receptors and Thymic Selection 
• T Cell Activation and Differentiation 
•  CD4 and CD8 T Cell Mediated Immunity
• Antibody Structure  & Effector Functions
• B Cell Development & Activation I 
• B Cell Development and Activation II
•  Vaccines and Vaccination  

Pathology

• Immunodeficiency Diseases 
• Autoimmunity 
• Hypersensitivies 
•  Rheumatologic Disorders

Pharmacology

• Antihistamines, Antirheumatics

Dental

• Nomenclature and caries classification
• Immunity, Inflammation and Periodontitis 
• Periodontology: Role of Local Factors

Each one of those bullets represents a learning unit, which is anywhere from 1-3hours of lecture. So everyday after class and during about 85% of the weekend I spend my time studying and practicing in lab. That is why I have titled this post "making sacrifices". On a daily basis, I give up a lot to be here, including the opportunity to be with my husband. I would have to say that is the most difficult aspect of school. Of course the material is challenging and plentiful, but the hardest part is staying focused on it. However, I wouldn't trade this experience, because I know that the end result will be worth it.

Valentine's Day Inspiration #2: Colorblocking

Hello all, I had to snap today's photos inside because its snowing! It started late this morning and it is coming down hard. It is so beautiful to watch the snow fall, but also very cold so there was no way that I was going sans coat outside today. Anyway-here is another Valentine's day themed outfit for you.

Dress: Banana Republic
Necklace: J Crew Factory Chandelier
Caught PJ in today's photo as this is one of his favorite sleeping nooks.

 I love this dress because of how thick it is. If I could, I would wear a skirt or dress everyday, but that's not always practical. Even with today's cold-I was especially warm in this dress. Even though this dress is a bright red, I still felt like the outfit was a little dark for me so I broke it up with this bright white chandelier statement necklace from J Crew Factory. 

Shoes: Steve Madden P-Heaven Flats
Bracelet: J Crew Factory

Valentine's Day Inspiration OOTD-#1

I know that some people think that Valentine's Day is a silly holiday to celebrate. However, we commonly take our loved ones for granted and dedicating a whole day just to making sure you let people know just how much you care about them is essential. If you hate the commercialism of it all-pick a random day and make sure that everyone you know is aware of just how much you care about them. As for me, I'm extremely excited about this Valentine's Day. Though I have been with my husband for 6 years now-much of our dating experience was long distance and unfortunately some of our married life has to be too. But this year, we actually get to see each other on Valentine's day. This is a rarity for us. So because this Valentine's day is extra special for me I'm of course celebrating the anticipation in the best way I know how-through my wardrobe. So all week you can expect V-day inspired outfits from me with pinks, reds, and maybe even a little purple. Yes it's cliche, but I love it anyway. Because let's me honest, a girl can never have too many excuses to wear pink.

Subtle in Polka-Dots

My husband teases me that he can't go into my closet because it's so bright. And he is right-my clothes are literally a rainbow of color. Oh yea and I guess the fact that the walls of my closet are painted bright pink doesn't help. But the truth is that, I really don't like anything plain or boring when it comes to my clothes. I love color and I love expressing that through what I wear. Clothing with bright textures, patterns, and bright colors are my passion. In fact, I have to make a concerted effort to put neutrals into my wardrobe. One of the ways that I found is a good way to tone things down a bit is through stripes and polka dots. To me these are classic patterns that will always be in style. So while some people may  think this outfit is a bit loud or attention grabbing, for me this subtle. 

Stolen Time

As I mentioned before, I had three snow days in addition to the weekend. Anytime I can manage to get some stolen time I like to spend it on myself. So what do? I spent some much needed time with friends, I read an entire book and started a second one, and played and lounged with my dog.

PJ the Westie