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Diary of a Doctor's Wife

4/27/2015

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Don't Wait for the Light at the End of the Tunnel

When I was asked to write a blog entry for Medical Partners from the perspective of a doctor’s spouse

post-residency, I could not decide where to start. My husband completed residency 14 years ago, and in 

14 years, you learn so much, change so much, grow so much. I could overload the MP blog with 

thoughts, reassurance, cheerleading, lessons learned, and all sorts of “mom” advice. I finally decided to 

hone in on the idea of the “light at the end of the tunnel” because I know many of us feel like that is 

what residency is like for both the resident and his or her family. Like we just have to get through this 

tough tunnel, and once it is over, life will be easy and smooth. That in the end it will all be worth it. That 

the tight finances, demanding schedule, immense stress and pressure will lighten once it is over.  And 

they do lighten. And you and your partner will feel like you got through the tunnel. But here is the thing I 

learned; you can’t hang all your hopes there. You can’t wait for life to be better down the road and just 

grit your teeth and bare it for now. Because as much as we all plan for the future, not one person on 

earth knows what tomorrow has in store. During my husband’s residency, in my thoughts I lived a good 

deal in the future. I thought if we got to the end of residency, then everything would be perfect. We all 

do this to a certain extent, I suppose it is human nature and is what keeps us going when things are 

challenging. But as hindsight is 20/20, I would have done better for myself and my spouse had I just 

embraced where we were rather than focused on where I thought we were going.  I would have been 

more light-hearted, less interested in things we could not buy or do, less frustrated with the little time 

we had together and more present in the moments we did have. Life is short and unpredictable. I am 

not sure I realized that 14 years ago. So, as an “old-timer”, I would like to shine a light not on what you 

have to look forward to, but on what you already have going on. So, give your partner some extra lovin’ 

even if he/she is tired and grumpy, read that one more story to your kiddo, call a friend even if you feel 

tired and burnt out. Live each day like it is the best day you ever had. Because then, when you do get to 

the end of the tunnel, it will be like icing on top of an already sweet life.
Tundi Brady is a Medical Partner's Alumni and our exclusive Real Estate Sponsor. 
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Looq Air 1 Giveaway

4/24/2015

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Hi Everyone! I have a really cool giveaway for you all today. Looq Systems has sent an Air 1 for one of you lucky members. 

The Air 1 is a really cool smart phone holder for your bike (or stroller in my case) and an awesome app that tracks your mileage, speed, calories burned, time, and the weather. You can also control your music and you can control your camera. You can do all of this while your phone is being held safely. 
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I used mine to go on a few runs with the kids. I really liked how I could take pictures of the kids while we were going without having to move my phone. I also like that it tracked where we went and how far it was. 
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If you would like a chance to win a Looq Air 1 leave me a comment telling me how handy an Air 1 would be for you! If you would like an extra entry Like their facebook page. Giveaway closes Friday at 10:00 AM. 
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What To Do This Weekend

4/22/2015

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Friday the 24th:

Iowa Baseball GameCome cheer on the Hawkeyes as they play Nebraska. Game starts at 6:05. 

Kernels Baseball Game
Team Photo theme night
Game starts at 6:35. The first 500 people in the gate get a free team photo. Tickets start as low as $8. 

Saturday the 25th: 

Iowa Walk for Epilepsy and 5K
Lower City Park Shelter #6 at 9:00.
The Iowa Walk for Epilepsy & 5K is being presented by University of Iowa Health Care - Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery and organized by the Epilepsy Foundation of North/Central Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska. The entry fee is $25.


Kites Over Hoover Park
10:00-3:00 at the Hoover Presidential Library in West Branch
A team stunt kite fliers will perform. Bring your own kites to fly as well.

Iowa Baseball Game
Come cheer on the Hawkeyes as they take on Nebraska. Game starts at 3:00. 

Kernels Baseball Game
Post Game Helicopter Candy Drop
Come to the Kernels game and stay after for some fun for the kids. A helicopter will fly over the outfield and drop candy and soft baseballs for the kids to go collect. Game starts at 2:05.

Family Fun Weekend at the Museum of Natural History
There will be family fun with hands on activities all weekend. For a full schedule of the weekends events check out their website. Entry is FREE! 

Riverbank Art Fair

From 10:00-5:00 come to the Iowa Memorial Union for a FREE art fair featuring work from dozens of professional artists. There will also be a FREE wine tasting for guest 21 and over from 12:00-3:00. 

Hawkeye’s Spring Game
Gates will open at noon and the game will start at 1. Come watch the Hawkeyes get ready for this upcoming season and come explore the stadium for FREE! Events will begin at 10. You can come and sign a beam that will be a part of the new Children’s Hospital. Children’s activities will be held at the south end of Kinnick. There will be a bounce house, football toss, soccer, and tattoos. The first 250 kids will get a foam finger.


Sunday the 26th: 

Free Pancake Breakfast at the Coralville Fire Department
8:00-12:00 Enjoy pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee and juice.  Bring the family to this annual community event and support the Coralville Fire Department Association.

Farmers Market at the Johnson County Fairgrounds
11:00-2:00 25 vendors are expected.

Iowa Baseball Game

Come cheer on the Hawkeyes as they take on Nebraska. Game starts at 1:00. 

Kernels Baseball Game
Come run the bases and play catch on the field after the game. There will also be face painting, a balloon artist, and a magician in the concourse during the game. Game starts at 2:05. 

Family Fun Weekend at the Museum of Natural History
There will be family fun with hands on activities all weekend. For a full schedule of the weekends events check out their website. Entry is FREE! 


Riverbank Art Fair
From 10:00-4:00 come to the Iowa Memorial Union for a FREE art fair featuring work from dozens of professional artists. 

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Insane Inflatable 5K Giveaway!

4/21/2015

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Who is ready for a crazy fun time?!? Do you ever see kids getting to play on bounce houses and inflatable obstacle courses and think how fun it would be if you could join? Now you can! 

Go Daddy is bringing The Insane Inflatable 5K to Cedar Rapids June 20th. In connection with the Freedom Festival, the run will be held at Kirkwood Community College. This fun yet challenging run is an opportunity for you to get your exercise while having a blast! The course is 3.1 miles long and full of crazy inflatable obstacles for you to conquer on your way. Just look at that course!
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After looking at that race course if you don't want to run this, you are crazy! If a large number of you would like to run we could even put together a team and tackle this beast together! 

If you would like more information about the race you can check out their website or their Facebook page. If you would like a chance to win your entry, head to our Facebook page where you can enter until May 1st. If you would like to register to run in this awesome event, hurry up and do it! Spaces are filling up and prices will be going up on May 8th. 
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Diary of a Resident's Wife

4/20/2015

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Spread a Little Too Thin

Has anyone else ever felt like they have to work a little harder to fill in the gaps for their Doc because their crazy work schedules keep them away too much? I’m not sure if its because I don’t want my kids to feel like they are missing out of anything because Dad can’t always be around or if I’m just a crazy overachiever. The Doc says its because I just don’t know how to say no. 
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I currently have 4 coach shirts sitting at the foot of my bed. FOUR! What was I thinking?!? Today we went from softball practice where I’m the assistant coach to soccer where I’m the coach to soccer practice where I’m the parent assistant. Luckily today was the craziest day for a while. Next week it will be something more like Monday: Soccer game and Soccer practice (two different teams at two different times), Tuesday: T-Ball and Softball games, Wednesday: BREATHE, Thursday: Dance, Friday: T-Ball and Softball games, Saturday: Soccer game.

If all of that isn’t crazy enough I also have to add in there grocery shopping, cleaning the house, dropping the kids off and picking them up at school, exercising, and keeping up with life in general. Most days by about 8:00 I’m ready to pass out. Sometimes I really feel like I need to take a step back and just breathe.

When I do take a step back and look at things I realize that I like the crazy. It helps time pass more quickly. It helps our family take our minds off the fact that the Doc isn’t always around or available to join in the fun. It helps me feel like my kids aren’t missing out on having a parent coach their team or be at all of their activities. It helps make the time that we do spend with all of our family members present even more special.

Do you ever feel spread a bit too thin? What do you do about it? 

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Selfie On A Stick Giveaway

4/13/2015

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I hope you guys remember how much fun we had at the Gala with selfie sticks because I have a chance for you to win a super nice Selfie Stick from SelfieOnAStick.com. This Selfie Stick is amazing! It collapses small enough to fit in your purse (about 9 inches) and stretches to 42 inches so you can get your whole group in the picture. The clip expands to fit most smart phones securely. The Selfie Stick also comes with a bluetooth remote so you are able to take your photo without setting a timer. The timer is compatible with Apple IOS and with Android phones. I was able to sync it to my iPhone bluetooth in less than a minute so it is very use friendly. 
I had a lot of fun trying out my Selfie Stick and it helped me get the great shot I used for our #IMPAprilPhotoChallenge last week. 
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I highly recommend the Selfie On A Stick, as do a laundry list of celebrities (go check out their website if you don't believe me). I would love to give one of you a Selfie On A Stick and bluetooth remote. To enter this giveaway leave me a comment telling me where you would take a selfie. The giveaway will close Friday at 10 AM. For an extra entry you can Like Selfie On A Stick's Facebook page. 

If you would rather just go get your own Selfie On A Stick head on over to their website and pick out one! The Selfie On A Stick with bluetooth remote is available for $29.99 and worth every penny! 

Thank you to Jacqueline for sending us a Selfie Stick to review and giveaway. We loved getting to share your product! 
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Children's Activities: Easter Egg Hunt

4/9/2015

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Thank you to everyone who came to our Easter Egg Hunt! We planned it inside this year at the North Liberty Rec Center because last year was still FREEZING, and of course it was a beautiful warm day ! Now if we could just get this rain to go away! The kids had so much fun running around the gym with their friends, grabbing up Easter Eggs, and making pipe cleaner bunny ears.  Thank you once again to Heritage Christian School for sponsoring this event. For more information about Heritage, be sure to check out their website at  http://hcs-nl.com/ 
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T-Shirt Design Contest

4/9/2015

1 Comment

 
Hi Everyone!

With our Medical Partners year almost over, we are starting to gear up for next year and we would like your help! Every year we try to change our shirt designs and we thought that for our next shirts it would be fun to hold a design contest.

We are looking for original designs that represent Iowa Medical Partners, our motto of "Sometimes  Friendship is the Best Medicine", and/or the Iowa City area. Because of printing costs we are limited to 2 colors so keep that in mind. Shirt colors and styles haven't been chosen yet either so if you have a suggestion that you feel would work best for your shirt design feel free to share. We will be choosing shirt styles based off of what we can get that will look good but also be cost effective. If you would like to submit an original design please email it to us (iowamedicalpartners@gmail.com). We will accept submission until April 30th.

Once all designs have been submitted we would like all of our members to vote for their favorite shirt. We will keep designs anonymous until voting is closed. The voting period will go from May 1st - 10th. We will announce our winning award on Monday May 11th.

The winner will receive their shirt for free as well as a gift card to Ghurties.  (Your membership fee covers your tshirt. Our winner will receive $10 back of their membership dues.) We are very excited to see what you all come up with! If you have any questions feel free to email us! 

Happy Designing!

IMP Officers
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Diary of a Resident's Wife

4/6/2015

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There Is No Such Thing As A Quick Trip To The ER

I don't know about you but I try to avoid the ER at all costs. They are germy and full of sick and crazy people (I'm looking at your lady who talks too loud on the phone about private matters, overly friendly old lady, and dude with 3 police escorts), which is great for entertainment but not much else. Last week we had to make a trip to the dreaded ER at 9:00 at night. It was quite the experience. 

Last Sunday, Rilyn got sick. It started with a tummy-ache and quickly turned into the the pukes with pain and a fever. The Doc and I brushed it off as a stomach bug and did our best to make her comfortable. Now its times that this when I wish my Doc, with his vast knowledge of medicine, could diagnose and solve any ailment we may have at the house. Unfortunately, hes a doctor not a miracle worker. He also happened to be working the 3-11 shift which left me home with 4 kids, which typically isn't a problem. 

When bedtime rolled around Rilyn had gotten worse. So worse that we were thinking it could be her appendix. This is when having a friend who understand the crazy medical lifestyle comes in handy. After I got my boys to bed, one of my girlfriends came over to sit at my house while I took Rilyn to the dreaded ER. Thank goodness the Doc wasn't busy so he could sit with us in the waiting room. When 11:00 rolled around we were still waiting so I send the Doc home to be with our boys and to let our friend go back to her house. Finally around midnight we were called back to a room where they asked a few questions and took a few samples for tests. The tests should have taken an hour or so to get the results back but Monday nights at the ER are crazy. It took 3 hours! 

Luckily for us Rilyn had all of the signs and symptoms of appendicitis, but it was only a nasty stomach bug. If your Doc works in the ER give them a big hug for all of the crazy that they have to handle on a daily basis. I don't know how they do it but I've very grateful. Now here's hoping we don't have to make another visit to the ER for a very long time!
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Personalized Camera Strap Giveaway

4/4/2015

5 Comments

 
Happy Easter weekend! I hope you all were able to enjoy the beautiful weather today. 
This weeks giveaway is a beautiful personalized camera strap from Seagraves Custom Sewing. Its the perfect accessory to have and it goes along great with the Photo-A-Day Challenge we have been doing! 
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Minda, the owner of Seagraves Custom Sewing sent me this beautiful camera strap to review and I love it. It is so cute and colorful! Its also nice for when I am around other people with big camera because it makes mine easy to find if I set it down. It is also a whole lot softer than the regular camera strap. It makes it much more comfortable to wear around your neck.

I love the color combination that Minda used and the vinyl that she used is great quality. There is no peeling or lifting. The whole camera strap cover is very well made. The seams are all clean and it looks like it will hold up for a very long time. 
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I love showing my camera strap off and I want one of you to have one too! Minda has sent a camera strap for one of you and she will personalize it too! For your chance to enter this giveaway leave me a comment telling what your favorite thing to photograph is. For an extra entry go to Seagraves Custom Sewing's Facebook page and "Like it". The giveaway will close Monday at 10 PM. 
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Hawkadelic.com Review & special coupon code for IMP members!

4/1/2015

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I don't know about you, but I am always on the search for new Hawkeye stuff! One of the biggest perks about living in Iowa City is that you don't even have to think about what you want to wear for the day...if all else fails, throw on a Hawkeye shirt, scarf, or hat, and you totally fit in! I LOVE the team spirit that Iowa has, and you can get that feeling just by walking around downtown for only a few minutes. If you weren't a Hawkeye fan before you moved to Iowa, you will definitely be one while living here, and leave as one!


In my search for some new great Hawkeye gear, I came across a great website that I had to check out, Hawkadelic.com! After browsing all of the awesome items that Hawkadelic offers, I realized that they had a ton of great items that I haven't seen before! So many cute styles for women, and tons of great unique items for men as well! Sometimes when I shop down town at the university shops or book stores, it seems that a lot of the shirts and accessories are all the same. And the best part about shopping online at Hawkadelic...shipping is FREE!!! You don't even have to leave your house with 4 screaming children begging for mini hawkeye footballs and ruining the beautiful displays at the store.  With a few simple clicks you can have quality, unique Hawkeye gear shipped to your door free of charge.

When I contacted Hawkadelic about doing a review on our blog about their site and items, they were so nice to offer up some gear for us to review.  They shipped out super fast and the items each came individually bagged, nice and folded safely to my door. 

The first item that I was sent was the Flying Hawkeyes Ladies' Slouchy Pullover in Eco-grey.  Honestly, if I would have picked something from the website myself, this would have been the shirt! I love the vintage hawkeye on the front, and it is so comfortable, it is my go-to shirt at the end of the day when I am feeling like getting into my cozy clothes and settling down for the night.  At $35 it is worth every penny spent in my opinion.  It is something I will have for a long long time and when I move from Iowa, I will have it to remember my Hawks!


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The next item I was able to review was the Vintage Eco Fleece Full Zip Hoodie.  I am a hoodie addict, and even more so now that I live in a place that is cold 9 months out of the year.  Again, I am going to say that the awesome part about this is you can throw it on and still feel like you actually fit in and care what you look like, because after all, its Hawkeye gear! :) My picture had to be a snuggly selfie (with an awkward selfie face), because let's be honest, its the best to be snuggled up in a nice warm sweatshirt! This one runs $48, so for a Hawkeye sweatshirt that is cute, comfy, and stylish, not a bad price at all! I will admit I have spent double that for a hoodie from the Victorias Secret Pink line. So this is a steal compared to that! And something that you will have in your closet forever.
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Lastly, they sent a few mens' items that my hubby was super excited to review for us! The first item that was sent was the retro Iowa Short Sleeve Tee.  This is a great shirt because it's basic but also has that vintage flair. It can be worn to any sporting event and he will fit right in with all of those college kids when he goes down town. :) He has worn it a bunch of times since they sent it which tells me he is loving it, because let's be honest my husband has about 5 shirts he will wear, and this is now part of the regulars. I am happy about it!  $28 for this one.
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The last item they sent was the Melrose Ave. Short Sleeve Tee. I haven't gotten a great pic of him in this shirt yet, I am sad to report, but it is even softer than the retro tee and the fit is great! I love the fact that it's showcasing Melrose Ave. Apparantly that was the place to be back in the day before Kinnick was there. Either way, it's another fun hawkeye shirt for him to wear out and about on game days and I hope it becomes one of his favorites. Also $28.
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Now that I've got you drooling over some seriously awesome Hawkeye apparel, you will be excited to hear that our friends at Hawkadelic have offered our members our own unique coupon code that will give you 20% off your entire order! The code is IAMEDPARTNERS and is valid until April 12th! And don't forget, shipping is FREE!!! So go get shopping and find yourself some new Hawkeye gear, because you deserve it! 

Thank you to Colin at Hawkadelic for sending us the review items and offering the special coupon code.

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April Photo-A-Day

4/1/2015

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Who else is excited about the beautiful weather we have to start off April with? Its beautiful! With Spring finally being here I thought it would be a great time to bust out those cameras and start documenting our adventures (and to give us another reason to get outside). I came up with a photo-a-day challenge for us all. I will be using the IMP Instagram account with the hashtag #IMPAprilPhotoChallenge if anyone wants to follow along and join me. Here are your daily challenges, if you choose to accept them (and you better!):

April Photo-A-Day Project

1-      Take a picture of what you are doing right NOW!

2-      Take a picture of something that reminds you of spring

3-      Take a picture of your favorite way to relax

4-      Take a picture of something Easter

5-      Take a picture of something that makes you happy

6-      Take a picture outdoors

7-      Take a picture of something that you feel is beautiful

8-      Take a picture of your favorite hobby

9-      Take a picture of someone you love

10-   Take a picture of something that expresses your emotion right now

11-   Take a picture of you (and know that you are BEAUTIFUL!)

12-   Take a picture of your favorite spring time accessory

13-   Take a picture of your least favorite household chore

14-   Take a picture of your favorite place in your house

15-   Take a picture of your favorite color

16-   Take a picture with the sunshine

17-   Take a picture with something you cannot live without

18-   Take a picture with someone who helps you get through your trials

19-   Take a picture of something you are proud of

20-   Take a picture with your best friend(s)

21-   Take a picture of something that makes you excited for summer

22-   Take a picture that makes you smile

23-   Take a picture of your favorite flower

24-   Take a picture of something you made

25-   Take a picture of your favorite beauty item

26-   Take a picture of your family

27-   Take a picture of love

28-   Take a picture of home

29-   Take a picture of happiness

30-   Take a picture of life


If you don't have Instagram you can play along too on our public Facebook page. There is an album called April Photo-A-Day Challenge that you can follow along with. You can email them to me at ashbholt@gmail.com and I can put them in the album for you. 

This will be a fun way to get to know each other better through pictures and a fun way to motivate ourselves to take more pictures of life. Happy Snapping!
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What's Up Doc: April 

4/1/2015

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1 – Children’s Activities: Egg Hunt at Rec Center 10:00 AM

4 – Easter Sunday

7 – SOS: Dessert Night at Emily Miska’s House 7-9 PM

8 – Play Group Meet and Greet at Rebecca Anderson’s House 10 AM-1PM

16 – Entertainment Club: Bowling at Colonial Lanes 7 PM

17 – Play Group: Lucky Duck Swim at North Liberty Rec Center 9-11:30 AM (Cost is $1 per child)

21 – Play Group: Story Time at downtown Iowa City Public Library 10:30 AM

29 – Play Group: Open Gym at Synergy Gymnastics 10:30 – 11:30 AM (Cost is $5 per child)

30 - Book Club: We will be reading Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward and will be at Emily Heredia's house at 7 PM. 

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