Blog Interrupted...

Its been a while since my last post, I'm already done midterms for 1st semester in 2nd year! I was able to work with Thea for a few weeks when she came to PEI. She fattened up nicely with some groceries and work. Mom and Dad took some pictures when they came over for a visit in July.



The first weekend in August was MQHA's Summer Sizzler 4 day show in Sussex, NB. I was assistant groom/exercise rider again. Tee Jay was able to do the 1st day of english showing (they staggered english and western show days), but the ground was too hard in the show ring for him to compete on the last day. There were lots of lovely horses as usual. :)



School started late August with get togethers with old friends coming back to the island, and 1st year orientation activities. Classes started off deep and continued through September and into midterms. This semester we had 8 midterms! But luckily they spaced them out with one hard one then an "easy" one.

October 1st I attended an awards night for AVC students to receive my certificate for being on the deans list from last year! It was a nice accomplishment, and hopefully will push me to do well this year too (we will see...).

This past weekend the "Three Blind Moose" and my Mom came up for the PEI Marathon. It was a beautiful day, even if it was a bit chilly. The girls played photographers around the marathon course and drove the boys around and picked up the extra vehicle.

Almost July!

Summer (?) is going by fast! I cant believe I have been working for 2 months already. This weekend is the big Festival of lights celebration leading up to Canada Day on Tuesday. I bought tickets for the concerts, which should be a blast if the weather cooperates!

The weather has been lacking until last weekend with some mid 20 degree days. I've made a total of 2 trips to the beach... one was in the evening for photos though. Last weekend I helped out some friends that were showing at the MQHA highland Classic show in Sussex, NB. I got to warm u (and tire-out) the horse for my horse and rider team, who placed 6 out of 15 in Hunter under saddle and 3rd under two judges for hunt seat equitation in her first quarter horse show! We all were very excited for them :) Of course I took a bunch of photos!







Some of the other competitors...














Other news... Thea came back to the Island after the horse show! I've ridden her 3 times this week, and she has remembered a lot of what we worked on over a year ago :) She is a smart girl. I'm not sure how much time I have to spend with her b/c someone is coming to try her this weekend and is quite interested. Wish I could have her for myself! But I'll have to wait til I get a "real" job I guess.... I will take some pictures on Sunday of her.

The puppies are growing fast and almost ready for their new homes! They are more playful and energetic than ever...

Its been a while since my last blog. I've gotten caught up in school, exams, job and travelling for a while. Its hard to believe 1st year vet school is over. Overall I had a great time, and have learned a lot (despite what I may think before taking an exam). I've met a ton of new people, and made new friends.

It was sad to say goodbye to people for the summer! My good friend Jennifer graduated from AVC this May, and I was happy to attend her white coat ceremony with her family to celebrate. She moved to Miami for a year's internship at a large animal hospital. The next time I see her will probably be at her wedding in the fall of 2009!


I've been at my summer job for about a month now. I work in Diagnostics Virology, which is part of the diagnostic services for the AVC teaching hospital. We are the only veterinary virology lab in the Maritimes. I'm their first summer student in the last 6 years... and they may have overestimated the workload for me. I have done a lot of reading, typing lab notes, and printing MSDS sheets. But I have been learning more about different viruses and test techniques, which should be useful next semester in my Virology course.

Last week I began riding again :) I dont have pictures from the 1st place, but I was able to ride two horses, both very different but fun. I was sore after that night... I'm not used to using my riding muscles! And the second place I am helping a lady work with her standardbred mare who is very quiet and quick to learn, but a little green. She's progressed so much in the 3 times Ive worked with her. Cant wait to see what she can do!



Trying to just keep myself busy, I've been slacking on the running front, going maybe once a week at this point. I'd like to get back into a regular routine so I can improve over last year. Havent made it to the beach yet... the weather has either been rainy, cold or too windy. Hopefully we'll have a few nicer days soon.

My friend Chantal's dog Vena had puppies 4 weeks ago! There are 3 girls and 2 boys. They are pretty cute and entertaining to watch. It has been fun seeing them grow up. I will update with pictures when I get the chance :)

Midterms round two!

It is February already! We've had our fair share of storms so far, and a few days off of school. While it seems fun at the time, our professors are forcing us to make up lost classes and labs in our own time! I understand we have to know the material, but it is not a pleasant feeling to have to take some of your free time to do school work.

Midterms are starting to gear up for this semester. It will be more brutal than the last semester with 11 midterms. We've had two already, which seem to have gone well. I've only received marks back from one with a pleasant 86%. I will pick up my mark from the second tomorrow!

Not much major news here. I received my new glasses finally after 2 weeks of waiting... here is a bad photo... but it gives you the idea.



I have been having fun with friends, going out to birthday parties and I'm planning a valentines day potluck for all of my single friends and those without their significant others for the day :) Should be a blast!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the barn a friend keeps her horse at. It was fun to see some equines again, and even got to hop on for a few minutes :) We didnt have the best chance for photo taking, but I got a couple of cute ones of her appy, Fangee.




My current stress is finding a job for the summer. I am hoping to stay on the island, since I have to pay for my apartment anyway. And PEI is great in the summer ( not so much the winter). There are a couple job postings for first year vet students at AVC, but I have been hearing a lot of my classmates are going to apply. So I am not sure what my chances will be... I am also going to try the local clinics, but they are probably bombarded with students as well. If all else fails, I may end up back at my job from last summer, since they expressed interest in hiring me again! Wish me luck... I hate job searching!

Back to the grind!!

Today I finished my second day back at AVC. It is nice to have some new courses and new professors, but the schedule of quizzes and midterms ahead is a bit daunting. I stopped counting after I reached 11 midterms... made me want to vomit a little bit.

So a recap of the past month! Exams seemed to drag on even though it was packed into 2 weeks. Things went quite well, and I was pleased with my final marks. There were a few well placed party nights in there, one after our Histology exam and another after our last exam Friday night. After getting home around 2 am, I managed to get up the next morning to pack and leave all before 10 am. Cody was so stressed out over everything...



My first week was very relaxing, with a few appointments thrown in there, and a trip up to Saint john to do some last minute Christmas shopping. The brothers arrived the Friday before Christmas, which allowed us to complete another family tradition of finding a tree!

There were a bunch of tracks through the untouched (by humans) snow in the tree lot. Even evidence of some sort of struggle??


The brothers who made us wait...


Finally a tree selection!


With plenty of time on my hands I borrowed Chris' fancy lens for some practice...




Christmas morning came quickly, with lots of presents to unwrap! Cody got a fun new toy and some new bling. And I got a very nice new lens which will be great for portraits :) I'm excited to use it... possibly for a fundraising idea for the Canine Club, but more on that another time.

Mom and Dad sporting their new shirts...


A very formal portrait shot... Chris enjoying his new reflector thingy


Christmas Dinner wouldn't be the same if it weren't for a big juicy turkey...


At some point after some number of snow storms, I went out with my brother to take some photos (I think this was my birthday?). Didnt get any fancy shots but had fun trying out my new lens, and borrowing Chris's wide angle lens.



I like how the depth of field can be very narrow with this lens, giving a blurry background.




And finally a lame attempt for a cool stretched tree shot with the wide angle lens LOL

Following Andrew's lead...

Before:


After:

Home stretch...

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Only one week left of class and then 2 weeks for 6 exams. I'm looking forward to a nice long Christmas break, and getting a chance to go back home for a while. There is only so much of the island I can take at a time LOL

I've recently had several people approach me regarding my pictures, which is very cool! Several people have wanted copies of photo's I had taken of them/their horses during horse shows this summer. I've also approved the use of my photos in the MQHA journal for some of the youth group members. Another approached me for a donation of one of my photos for an auction put on by a non-profit organization. And a classmate asked me to take photos of her and her horse and was very willing to pay me! I'm enjoying the recognition, though I'm not sure if I want to go into selling my pictures. I get more enjoyment out of just taking them, getting good shots, and having people appreciate them.

However I have had the idea of making a little portfolio for myself of the shots I like the most. :) From what I read, it can be tricky to get your photos printed with the same appearance as on your computer screen. I'll have to experiment with a few places to see how they turn out.

Better get back to studying!