Mondays are always interesting. You never know what the day will bring. The attitudes met first thing in the morning by the crew sets the tone for the entire week. Coffee is a good thing and some what of a necessity on this particular day of the week. I woke the same way I wake every morning. The alarm clock beeped at 7:00 am, Jamie rolls out of bed, I stagger after her, wonder down the hall, shake graham awake, accidentally startle Justin in the bed adjacent, and plug in the coffee maker. Running shoes on, ipod charged, and our boat dog Giles dragging his feet out the door, Jamie, Michelle, Graham, Justin, Jamie and I hit the pavement for a walk/run/jog. The neighbors (and there is a lot of them) are all out and about taking advantage of the cool air (89 degrees instead of 96 degrees). They all stop us to chat and share way to much about their medical problems and rectal exams. OOO the things we have yet to look forward to! No, but really the neighbors are sooo sweet. When, for some reason or another, I miss out on seeing the usual crowd in the morning, I experience a minor withdraw for the remaining day. I will miss them very much. It is funny how people walk into your life, even for a brief moment, and can leave such a lasting impression on your heart. I will never forget these neighbors nor will I ever overlook such sincerity and warmth. But today I had the pleasure of literally running into all my favorite peeps, had a great big cup of coffee, and began this week with a smile. Now that we have a resident photographer, Justin, the entire crew dressed in our scrubs, did our hair, dashed our eyes with mascara, jumped on the boat and smiled big for the camera. Our Floating Doctors Family is finally all together so we snapped the perfect shot on the boat to solidify existence and start the journey looking good. Speaking of hotness, Justin took the time to individually capture our faces, photo shop our complexions, and uniform our cause. However, it is kinda scary the things that one is able to do with a click of the mouse and I quickly questioned life as we see it!! haha but really kinda scary. But I look great...so no complaints I guess. All day today, Michelle and I sat in front of the computer punching in, one by one, receipts from the last 4 months on every expense ever made. It was the most boring thing I have ever done and my butt got numb a lot! On a brighter note, I made arapas for lunch which are Venezuelan fried bread pockets that you can stuff with cheese, beans, spinach, and whatever....yummy! Michelle made an amazing mandarin salad and we shared our feast with the house. Later that night Captain Jay came over to give us the low down and our first lesson in boating. His number one rule is plenty of drinking water on the boat and no water in the boat. "You cannot sink a boat if water doesn't get in it. That's not my rule....that's just a basic law of physics." God how awesome is he! captain jay gave each of us assignments that we are to learn and then teach the rest of the crew. Jay gave us a few more hints, tricks, and laughs about boating 101. He gave us a list of things that we need for our overboard bags..."You will only need these when we go over board. No electronic can openers." Hahaha He said that each bag must contain a few basics and besides that we can personalize the contents.....Jay laughed when he remembered that a past crew mate of his packed a toothbrush and floss....Umm excuse me....just because I am free floating in the middle of the Atlantic ocean possibly in danger of being torpedoed down by Cuba does not mean that my gums must suffer also....I quickly reminded him that I was of the dental profession and that everyone should see floss as a basic item for their bag. I on the other hand will be bringing glitter and face paint...what?? there are a lot of things one can do with the later! So now I am sitting on the couch, sailing books around me, glycolysis color coated next to me, EMT flashcards waiting to be tested, and my mind is racing with the life waiting to be discovered! I am reminded that this trip, if nothing else, will teach me more about life, myself, and push my boundaries, values, and otherwise headstrong opinions to the limit. I am learning to bend my reality, free my mind, turn my face toward the sun, and let God unravel my purpose here. I have floss in my hand and I am ready to see what kind of plaque exists before me!! (eww??)
