Reflections

Last weekend Matt and I traveled back to Manhattan, KS for K-State's graduation. On Friday, I was able to reconnect with some good friends who live in the area. I spent almost all day just sitting and chatting with people. Food was of course involved! (Chipotle is totally worth the heartburn it gives me) I love being able to hear and share what's going in each other's lives.

From there on the weekend was packed full of graduation events and parties. I can only imagine the number of names I listened to while attending the College of Agriculture and Engineering commencements. We reconnected with our roots down in Aggieville where we celebrated with both of our siblings. We stopped by our favorite bar, chatted with our 3rd roommate (Josh), and realized how much we miss GOOD country music and the dance floor.

On the drive home, I was doing quite a bit of thinking. Yes, the town is still called Manhattan, but lots has changed.... new stores, new restaurants, new bars, ect... The area around the Vet school is being transformed into NBAF (National Bio and Agri-Defense Facility). And I'm sorry to announce that Gumby's no longer exists. RIP Pokey Sticks. But what I came to realize, is that it's not the restaurants, bars, stores, or the classrooms that make a place special. It's the PEOPLE you experienced it all with.

Food for Thought

I've really been struggling alot to come up with veterinary topics to blog about. My new job is very different from my last, and topics/patients don't just present themselves like they used to. Maybe its the clients, maybe its the fact I'm doing very little large animal or equine work, or maybe it's just the fact that I'm working part time still. Who knows... but any input on blog topics or ideas would be great!

Anyhoo- I just stumbled along this blog courtasey of another Beef-lover. Great idea... great information... Great spokesperson for animal agriculture. Check it out!

http://feedyardfoodie.wordpress.com/

The Versatile Blogger

As am I almost the last one to pass it along... here goes the Versatile Blogger. How it works is that I tell 10 things about myself that people may or may not know. Then I pass the award onto bloggers whom I want to participate. So lets go!


1. I'm a vet. If you have read my blog before, I sure hope you had that figured out. I am currently working in a mixed practice where I see dogs, cats, horses, cattle, and goats. I really wish I could be spending more of my time working with cattle and horses, but I am thankful for my current opportunity. Who knows where my career will go from here...



2. I live in a dry county. YES, they do still exist in the year 2011. To buy beer, I have to either drive to Missouri, or 30 mins south into the next county.




3. I really enjoy photography. I took a class in high school, learned the in and outs of a 35mm camera. We developed our own film and did all of our own prints. Ever since then I have loved taking pics, mainly of scenery... I haven't caught the people bug yet. This summer I am planning on taking a class here at a local photo shop to learn more about DSL cameras. Hopefully then I will be able to better use my newest camera!






4. There is a website I visit on a weekly basis ever since undergrad. http://www.postsecret.com/ PostSecret is an ongoing community mail art project, created by Frank Warren, in which people mail their secrets anonymously on a homemade postcard. Select secrets are then posted on the PostSecret website, or used for PostSecret's books or museum exhibits. Check it out sometime!






5. I hate the color pink. End of story.





6. I grew up in a rural community and guns have always been apart of my life. I took hunter's safety in middle school and have been hunting every since. But, back in January, I took a concealed carry weapons class. Handguns are relatively new to me, but it was very interesting to learn about the different types of handguns and all the laws associated with them. Hopefully soon I will be receiving my concealed carry permit in the mail :)


7. I'm not a huge fan of TV. In vet school, I learned to live without it. The news was the highlight of my day. Since graduation and getting married, I have defiantly increased my watching time. My latest favorite show to watch is Psych. I can watch episode after episode on Netflix. It's amazing! So watch a little Psych for me sometime soon :)


8. My feet... yes my feet. 1- They are very small. I wear a size 6.5 in women's. I can fit into little boys shoes, and I have a hard time finding boots that fit... mainly because my feet are so small. Matt had to special order me Muck boots because my feet are so small. 2- My feet are cold... all the time. I love wearing wool socks. Matt complains at night because my feet are like ice cubes.


9. I live in the land of Walmart.... SERIOUSLY. Bentonville Arkansas is where it all started. I have been to the "Walton's 5-10" original store and have seen the begining of the monster franchise. And because of that, everything in our area is related to Walmart. Over 1,300 Walmart vendors have added corporate branches or offices in the area including: Coca-Cola, Procter and Gamble, Motorola, Nestle, Dell, Kellogg, and PepsiCo. I would gather that 75% or more of the employment in our county can be tied to Walmart in some manner.


10. Scoobydoo is my favorite cartoon character hands down. I grew up watching the originals on TV. My parents would tape them while they were on at like 4 am, and then I would watch them all later that day. I have scoobydoo sheets, pillows, a mystery machine alarm clock, bank, and stuffed scooby's. Scooby-dooby-doo!!

And so to pass it along...

TAG JP- you're it!

Update on life!

So long time no post... Lots has changed in my life since my last post. So let's use this one to catch up on things!

1. New Job: I left my job in Greenwood last fall and moved north (although still in Arkansas) to Pea Ridge. Pea Ridge is a town ~3,000 in northwest Arkansas. It is about 15 mins away from the Rodgers/Bentonville metro area. I was able to find part time work at Oak View Animal Clinic here in Pea Ridge. It is a predominately small animal clinic (80%) with the remaining work divided between catlle, horses, and small ruminants.

2. New Name: Approximately 4 months ago, I married my best friend Matt Fry back in Kansas. The legal name change process has taken a long time, and in fact in still in the process. Between driver's liscence, SS #, and the normal stuff- take that times a hundred when you have veterinary liscencing and accrediation to worry about! So, now you can all call me Dr. Fry :)

3. New member of the family: During the move and the wedding, we made an addition to our family. Meet Sadie, a energetic chocolate lab puppy who loves chewing rawhides, playing ball, and sunbathing on out kitchen floor. There's never a dull moment with her around.

I hope to be posting more often. Posts may vary between work and life. So enjoy your Sunday!

Hank

Meet Hank- my Friday night midnight adventure. We are waiting for a referal to a nearby equine hospital on monday, but yes- that is bone... and yes- I can stick my fingers into his sinus. Even better, the pic is after i cleaned the edges, removed the flap of skin, and flushed the sinuses. Let's hope the best for him!

Luna

Meet Luna Alstadt, my miracle kitty. My first meeting with Luna was during her spay back in August of 2009. She is the house cat of one of our purebred Angus cattle breeders, who I do a fair amount of work for.

This past winter, she came into the clinic as a very very VERY sick kitty. She hadn't eaten in a week and was very dehydrated. Her hematocrit (or amount of red blood cells) was very low, less than 5%. Two blood transfusions, antibiotics, and after almost 2 weeks in the hospital, Luna was discharged. She was my miracle kitty. All the doctors at my clinic and even the owner thought she wouldn't make it. She gradually recovered and went back to holding things down at the farm.

Two weeks ago, Luna was back at the clinic. She came in recumbent with a very low body temperature. Blood work was almost normal, just a low blood glucose. I had absolutely no clue what was going on with her. I was sooo frustrated and felt helpless. We hospitalized her and did everything we could for her, and she passed away the next night.

Then, it finally happened.... I cried. It was the first time I cried after loosing a patient. The hardest part was trying to keep it together on the phone to tell the owners. The owner could definitely tell I was torn up. Thank goodness the morning was slow, cause it took me almost half an hour to get it together and go back into the clinic.

My favorite memory of Luna had to be this spring: I was out working cattle and paused for a moment to look up the driveway. There was Luna strolling across the drive. A bird flew by, and wham! Luna was 3 feet in the air doing a flip trying to catch the bird. Such and acrobat! May she rest in peace.

Fences

"Fences are like a person's life. Sometimes it's up and strong, and all theses posts are all the things that keep the life up and strong: a loving spouse and family, health, work, neighbors. You get the idea. Sometimes even dreams make good fence posts......... Your problem, is that you ain't got enough fence posts to hold up your life. And many of the ones that you do got are rotted. You got to get you some fence posts, boy. And if you got a neighbor who wants to help you put them in, by God, you let him. One day he might need help with his own fence, and if helped you, it'll be easier for him to ask for your help. You get it? "

~ Whitey from "Church of the Dog"