My med school graduation!

So last Friday I finally graduated from med school. I thought that going through the ceremony would finally make me feel like a real doctor, but I have to admit, I don't really feel any differently than I did from the day before. But it was fun! Graduation "weekend" actually started on Wednesday, when my friend Allison rented out a nail salon so all us girls could get pedicures together. it was so much fun! And our other friend Azadeh took time out of studying for Step 1 to come hang out with us too!

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Us getting pretty toes:

Azadeh, Allison and I:

Then a lot of my family came in from California and Georgia, and we went out to eat at PF Chang's on Thursday night after (almost) everyone got there. We got to sit at this huge private table that was sort of hidden behind the bar but in front of the kitchen, so we could watch them making everything. It's not the best place for people with otosclerosis to sit, but the rest of us didn't mind! My little cousin Matthew provided the entertainment by repeatedly sticking his chopsticks up his nose.

Me with my grandparents at PF Chang's. You can tell how Grandpa loves to be in pictures:

My Aunt Shay supervising Matthew and his chopsticks-cum-weapons:



The next morning we had to get up early to get out to the Maricopa Events Center, located in what felt like Los Angeles, by 8:30am. When I have my own med school, graduation will start no earlier than 2pm…especially if it's over an hour's drive from the school!

This is me hanging out with Megan before the ceremony. In retrospect, I probably should have put on the silly hat, because in all the photos where I'm not wearing it, I look like I just randomly decided to put on a black gown that day:

Joking around (posed) with Jennie & Tori before the ceremony, in front of the concession stand. Yes, there actually was one. At a med school graduation. Only at my school.....

Tori, Jennie & I before the ceremony (again):

With my friends Chuck and Eric before sitting down:


With my friend Abby before the ceremony:



With my friend Ruqayya after the ceremony:

Despite the early hour, my school managed to put on a somewhat decent ceremony, the one exception being our esteemed President, who was clearly winging her speech. One would think she would have taken, say, 15 minutes or so on her private jet flight from Chicago to pen something appropriate for a medical school graduation, but no. But I should thank her, as she provided a sort of impromptu psych review in that she was repeatedly inserting neologisms (something schizophrenic patients do) in her speech, with such memorable words as "strucken." Seriously….where did they find this lady? She was also blinged-out with a huge gold medallion, the origin/meaning of which no one could decipher.

Dr. G winging her cheesy speech.....Unfortunately you can't see the bling in these pictures:

Matthew enjoying popcorn during the ceremony:

Me modeling my hood after the ceremony:

With my mom & my brothers after the ceremony:

Me with my mom:

Tori, me & Jennie:

Me picking up my diploma. It would've been nice to take a picture in my cap, gown & hood with the diploma, but our cheap school makes us turn in the cap & gown to get our diploma. Nice.

So after the ceremony we took approximately a million pictures and then proceeded to lunch at Abuelos, which was really good! Then we went back to the Plaza and had a champagne toast and opened presents. The next day we just lounged around by the pool, and then went out to dinner for my grandma's 46th anniversary of her 39th birthday at Macayos. Of course they insisted on singing one of those cheesy Mexican-restaurant-birthday-songs to her, which she really enjoyed. Plethora and bulging jugular veins are usually a sign of enjoyment, right?

The young folk decided to go out to dinner on Friday night after the ceremony, and we ended up at Buco di Beppo, and we had such a good time.

Here are all the cousins together:

Jennie, Tori, Me & Megan:

James, Jackson & I with the nuns:

On Sunday everyone took off, and after dropping Jackson off at the airport at about 1, I took off for Cleveland. I didn't get very far. I only made it to Albequerque the first night. But at least it was a start.