Pharmacy School Pinning

As most of you know, I have been in school for a very long time now. I am currently 25 (almost 26.. yikes!), and I have been attending school in some way, shape, or form since I was 5 years old. I have been in college for 7 years now, and by the time I actually graduate with my PharmD, I will have gone to college for a total of 8 years.

At MUSOP, we have IPE rotations two days out of the week. We go to those rotations in the mornings usually from 8:00-11:30, and then we have class from 1:30-4:45. I usually have about two meetings a week (one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday) after class in the evenings that last until about 6:00-7:00. Our curriculum is based on "active learning." This means at home we watch lectures that our teachers record prior to class and do any additional pre work such as quizlets or assigned readings. Once we are in class, we are tested on the video lecture and pre work with two quizzes called IRATs and GRATs. The IRAT is taken first, and you take it on your own to assess what you understood from the pre work. The GRAT is taken after the IRAT, and you get to work with your group members and discuss the questions and answers. This is helpful if you didn't understand something during the IRAT because maybe one of your group members can explain it to you. In class, the teacher usually briefly reviews the lecture that we were supposed to watch at home, and then we do an active learning activity that usually consists of a patient case or a game such as jeopardy. We do all of this for every single class. It can get overwhelming! Sometimes I feel like I don't have time to do anything that isn't school related. Once you develop time management skills, it does get better.

So, you can imagine my excitement about being finished with classes for pharmacy school! I have three finals left to take and a one day diabetes training course to complete before I am officially a P4 student! During my P4 year, I will go out on rotations in a variety of settings to practice in the field what I have been learning in the classroom. I have rotations in clinics, hospitals, compounding pharmacies, independent pharmacies, and chain pharmacies. Also, one of my preceptors is taking me to Las Vegas to a geriatric convention. I am very excited for that! She told me I will learn more than I ever cared to know about geriatrics LOL!

Yesterday, MUSOP held a pinning ceremony for us to acknowledge we are transitioning from P3s to P4s. Our dean was there and gave great advice on how to handle ourselves while on rotation. He told us the average pharmacy student does anywhere from 10,000-12,000 hours of work inside and outside the classroom while in pharmacy school. WOW. I know I've been busy, but I didn't realize I've been THAT busy!

Here are some pictures from the pinning ceremony!

Here is my soon to be sis-in-law being pinned!

We also voted on Preceptor of the Year awards. The students selected preceptors that we felt went above and beyond to guide us during our rotations. 

This is my advisor Dr. Sizemore being awarded. He is awesome! He graduated from UK, is very personable, and extremely intelligent! 

This is Jason Plummer, the owner of a local independent pharmacy. He has been voted Preceptor of the Year every single year since MUSOP has been established. I had the privilege of working with him during a rotation, and he is a wonderful pharmacist AND person. 

We also selected teachers that we felt were exemplary. Our Teacher of the Year award went to Dr. Mohan. He was a new professor, but we all loved him instantly. He is very charismatic, highly intelligent, and dedicated to his work. He adapted his lectures to suit us, and he explained complex topics in an "easy to understand" way. 

Our team award went to our Heme/Onc teachers. We love each of them! This is definitely a fun group of teachers that relate to their students. I will miss them all!

Finally, the staff appreciation award went to Gail Rice. She works in the experiential learning office and helps to organize and assign students to rotations. Being a new school, this can be a daunting task. She was always very friendly and helpful! 

This is me with my last group. They were great to work with, and I will miss all of them! I have always loved my groups in pharmacy school. I was very lucky to work with each and every one of them! 

Just a few Phi Delta Chi gals!

My friend and fellow Phi Lambda Sigma, Delilah! I will miss this girl! 

After the ceremony, I decided to visit Ty before finals. Little did I know, I had a surprise waiting for me. That man is the best. He always goes out of his way to make me feel special. He called me while I was driving to see if I was excited to be finished with classes, and I told him I was actually sad because I was going to miss my classmates and professors. When I arrived at the house, I spotted a sign on the door that said "Congrats Grad!" I cracked up. When I walked inside, he had the place decorated and even made a makeshift table (some of our furniture is still at my apartment at school and won't be at the new place until I move in). He had delicious cupcakes, a "Princess Grad" sash, balloons, and a sign hung up. You name it, he had it. He told me to put the sash on, and when I picked it up, I noticed something underneath it. He bought me a new pair of Ray Bans! I had been wanting a new pair because mine are so old, but I wouldn't buy them for myself. He picked them up yesterday and had them waiting on me when I arrived. I am so lucky to have someone that wants to celebrate milestones in my life with me. Tyler has been by my side basically throughout all of pharmacy school. We began dating in December my first year. I am blessed to be able to share my life with this amazing person. I love you Ty! 

Now here is a sweet story. When I was 17 years old, my parents were dropping me off at Marshall to begin my freshman year of college. My birthday was that Tuesday, and my parents weren't going to be able to celebrate with me for the first time ever. My dad took me to the mall that day and bought me my first pair of Ray Bans as an early birthday present. I still have them. They are scratched to pieces, and the frames sit crooked on my face. I just can't get rid of them. I love those things! Well, last night Ty gave me these new Ray Bans (same style, different color), and he told me my dad got me a pair when I started school at Marshall and he got me a pair when I finished school at Marshall. I am a big cheese ball, but that almost made me cry! I can always count on my two favorite guys to make me happy! 

We finished off the evening with some mac and cheese (and sweet tea of course) at Panera! 

I had to throw this one in here. I may or may not have had a princess cupcake and coffee in a prescription bottle mug for breakfast this morning. Let the celebration continue! 

Plantation Homes and Puppies

Yesterday Tyler and I were out running around and stumbled upon Waveland Historic Site. We saw a sign that said "Derby Themed Breakfast," and it caught our attention. We turned down the long, gravel road and found a beautiful Greek Revival style plantation home. There was an old log cabin on the grounds which was the gift shop. When we went inside, we discovered that they give tours of the grounds and the plantation home, and they have daily tea times where you can sample different types of tea; however, we never did figure out where or when the Derby Themed Breakfast was. The building was so old and creaked every time we took a step. They had many little trinkets in the gift shop including candies and cook books as well as different paintings.

The Waveland Plantation was the home of the Joseph Bryan family who followed Daniel Boone through the Cumberland Gap and became early settlers of the region. The grounds were beautiful with several little gardens. We snapped a few pictures before we left. Unfortunately, we didn't stay for a tour. We both agreed we definitely want to go back when we have a little more time and take the tour. All tours begin on the hour and last about an hour each.

Lexington is full of many historic places that I have yet to visit. I love learning about history and taking tours of old homes. I am looking forward to when I live here, and Tyler and I can start exploring the city. We go to the same shops and restaurants all the time it seems like. There is so much of Lexington that we still haven't seen. Maybe I will make a "bucket list" of places we need to visit once I move here!

This weekend, we also stopped by a local pet store and found an adorable tricolor King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. My friend, Ashton, has a beautiful brown and white cavalier named Elizabeth Taylor. She is the cutest thing ever! Ty and I have been toying around with the idea of getting a dog when I move here, and after Ashton told me all about them, we decided if we get a dog it will be a cavalier. This sweet baby we played with at the pet store was a boy. We are hoping to get a little brown and white girl so Elizabeth Taylor can have a "sister". It was fun to play with this little sweetheart though, and I hope he finds a loving home very soon!

Besides stumbling upon a beautiful plantation home and a sweet puppy, Ty and I had another even bigger surprise in store for us this weekend. Tyler's cousin, Jeremy, and his girlfriend, Marissa, had a beautiful baby girl on Thursday. She is absolutely precious! She has a head full of dark hair and is so tiny! We love her very much already!

Lilly for Target

As many of you know, Lilly Pulitzer is collaborating with Target to create a limited edition line of Lilly products. This line will feature things you normally can't find at a Lilly signature store in patterns exclusively for Target. I personally can't wait. Here is the fabulous commercial (and yes, that is Mr. Big in the video!) Link to Lilly for Target commercial

I know that there are some people that are disappointed that Lilly is going to be available at Target, but let me explain why I am excited for it. I absolutely love anything and everything Lilly Pulitzer. I love the bright colors, the bold patterns, the high quality fabric, and the little details they put into every item. It is very well made, and your clothes will last for years. I love Lilly for many reasons, but the price tag is not one of them. Lilly is expensive. Some dresses retail for almost $300. I purchase my Lilly off of sale racks at signature stores and during the sales that they have which is only twice a year. I look at it as an investment, but I don't buy it at regular price unless it is a special occasion. Since the items from this Lilly line will be sold at Target, the price range will obviously be more affordable. Why are people not happy about this?! LOL The prints that will be sold at Target will only be available at Target. It will not decrease the value of any other Lilly items offered on the Lilly website or at a boutique. I believe if you are a true Lilly girl, you like it because it is fun, colorful, and comfortable. I do not believe that you should wear Lilly because you want people to think you pay a lot of money for your clothes. I would wear Lilly whether it was sold in a high end boutique or at the Dollar Store.

Now that I am finished with my little rant, I wanted to show y'all what pieces I am hoping to pick up from the sale! It will be available to purchase online, and the sale will be live sometime between 12:00-2:00AM. I am going to try to get what I can online, but if this is anything like the Lilly Sale, the site is likely to either crash or be sold out of certain pieces within minutes. I am going to stop by two local Targets on Sunday as well. I can't wait!

I am mainly interested in getting the decorative items from the line. Lilly carries odds and ends like stationary, glasses, plates, etc., but this home line offered at Target really takes the cake. I want one of everything, but unfortunately, Tyler doesn't want to live in a house decorated in hot pink and blue flowers. So strange, I know! LOL Here are some of my favorite things for the home:

I love how bright and cheery all of these pieces are! The plates, napkins, and cups come in mismatched patterns. I think these would be so great for an Easter or Mother's Day dining table setting! I want to use the cocktail glasses to serve desserts in. I really hope I am able to snag all of these items! I have to say that the thing I want the most is the Lilly hammock. Unfortunately, we just don't have the space on our back patio right now for it. (Mom, I think you need a hammock! LOL) 

Of course, I couldn't shop the Lilly for Target line without purchasing some clothes. I am hoping it isn't too chaotic at the store, and I will be able to try some things on. I love the bathing suits and shift dresses! Here are some of my favorites from the clothing line:

Here is a link to the Lilly for Target Look Book, which is where I found all of these awesome items shown above! I will also be linking these items to my pinterest. Y'all will have to let me know what you purchase. I will be doing an updated post on all of my finds! Good luck to all of you Lilly lovers on Sunday! 

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Lilly for Target Update:

Are you bored and need something entertaining to read? Go look at the hashtag #LillyforTarget on Twitter. You can thank me later. 

Preppy girls everywhere were having conniption fits in the wee hours of Sunday morning, myself included. I knew the online sale would launch sometime between 1:00-3:00AM Eastern Time, so I decided to stay up until 1:00 for it. This begins the downward spiral of my Lilly for Target experience. As I tried to stay awake, I scrolled through twitter. I saw girls saying links were live already. Wait, WHAT?! The site hadn't launched yet. They can't be buying stuff, right?! I jumped up out of bed and ran to my computer. Girls were tweeting that you could google the item you wanted, and it would take you to a link where you could purchase it through target. I started looking up my must have items, and I actually had a few in my shopping cart. The higher-ups at Target must have realized the links leaked and shut it down pretty quickly. I was unable to make any purchases during the leak.

Fast forward to 3:00AM when the president of Target tweeted the site would go live. I am sitting in the floor with my computer in front of me, my cell phone in one hand, and my debit card in the other. I knew once the site went live it would be every woman for herself. I was prepared. I kept clicking refresh, but the site hadn't launched yet. I got on twitter to see what all the Lilly lovers were saying, and to my surprise, they were buying stuff. Wait, WHAT?! The site hadn't launched yet. They can't be buying stuff, right?! Apparently, the mobile version went live before the computer site launched. So, I log into my Target account and start adding stuff to my cart from my phone. The coveted Lilly mugs were sold out instantly. Honestly, I believe the mugs and napkins sold out online when the first leak happened. I had a ton of cute stuff in my cart. I'm talking shift dresses, pineapple flip flops for my mom, a scarf, plates, glasses, shorts, and a bikini y'all. I was elated. I click checkout. Nothing. I refresh. Nothing. THEN THE SITE CRASHED. Are they serious?! By this point, I was so tired from staying up all night, and I was becoming increasingly aggravated. When I was finally able to get back into the site, all the things that were in my cart had sold out except for the plates and glasses. I cut my losses and checked out as quickly as I could. 

I had planned on lining up early at a local Target, but after the online fiasco, I decided against it. I was so let down by how everything was handled. After the stores opened, they sold out within about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, many of the items didn't go to true Lilly lovers. A select few people bought up whole racks of clothes and accessories, and most Lilly for Target items can now be found on Ebay at a very inflated price. The whole point of this collaboration was to make Lilly available to everyone, but it did the complete opposite. I will always love Lilly Pulitzer no matter what. I just wish Target would have maybe handled the whole process a little better. For one, they should have had way more stock available for both stores and online. Also, leaking links early for some buyers to buy up items before the site goes viral is a little sketchy. I wish they would have prepared for the site to crash considering we Lilly girls crash the Lilly site every single time they have their sale. I feel like the whole thing could've gone much smoother if these things had been addressed ahead of time. Also, customers would be much happier. 

The more I think about it, this whole thing really opened my eyes to a lot of things. Yes, this limited edition collaboration really made some people greedy. I know I was so pumped up about the sale I was just trying to buy anything and everything. It was like my adrenaline was going, and I wasn't thinking straight. LOL On the flip side, it also showed me that there are still girls out there that want to work together and help a sista out! I follow several groups on twitter, instagram, and Facebook geared toward the Southern woman. Those girls stuck together throughout this whole process. When the links first leaked, they were re-tweeting them for others to gain access to them. When the site went live on mobile phones first, they put out a public service announcement for all the girls clicking refresh on their computers to no avail. When the Ebay sharks started selling the items for quadruple the retail value, they rallied to boycott those sellers and buy and trade amongst themselves. Many girls are trading sizes that didn't fit and helping each other get the items they really wanted. So, in the midst of all the craziness, there are still good hearted people out there. I realized fighting and scheming for a discounted item is not very lady like and just flat out not worth it. I didn't partake in the in-store madness, but I have heard some horror stories. I hate that something that was supposed to give everyone access to bright, cheery Lilly items turned some people into greedy trolls. Lilly will always be one of my most favorite brands, and I consider the ladies that helped each other out during the Lilly for Target apocalypse "true" Lilly girls! So for now, I will continue to enjoy my Lilly purchased during the Lilly sale while I wait for my Lilly plates and cups to ship from Target. Hopefully we will all have more luck in August during the Lilly sale!