A great start

Summer 2012... Oh, how I have longed for you.

In medical school, the summer between first and second years is infamously dubbed the "last summer of our lives". After this, vacations will be few and far between until our long years of training are over... for some (ie. aspiring neurosurgeons), this means a decade more of training; for others (like me, maybe a pediatrician?), six.

My first free Saturday was the perfect way to kick off the summer. I can't think of a better way we could have spent it! :)

Saturday Part 1

Spontaneity. That's what I loved so much about my afternoon with Claire, BFF from my high school days in Germany.

She texted me in the morning, asking if I wanted to bake some macarons with her. Uh, of course I do! My friend is an amazing baker and chef, and I love being in the kitchen with her. So she came over, and our unexpected afternoon was born.

It was my first time witnessing a macaron creation, and I had no idea how temperamental a macaron is. Everything has to be just right - the temperature of the eggs, the humidity, the mixing technique. I was going to record the recipe and our steps on this blog, but since I really didn't know what was happening, you must wait until Claire launches her own blog (very soon!) to see in detail what we did. Don't worry, I plan to feature my friend on this blog once hers goes live ;)

If you've noticed the time stamps on my photos, you probably figured out that this whole process took us 5 hours. According to master chef Claire, that is double the normal time to bake macarons! The humid weather and my lack of appropriate baking tools (I'm.. not a baker) offset the time by just a little. But at the end of the day, our macarons were beautiful and oh so delicious!

Saturday Part 2

It's just how boys roll. To commemorate the end of our first year, our friend Brian organized a BBQ party at my place. But! He didn't actually have a grill for this party until that very afternoon. Thank God for random flea markets that sold him a grill for $5, right?? :P So I guess that's how boys roll - on the spur of the moment! In any case, the party was a wonderful success.


This group of girls (plus 2 more, who couldn't come) has been such an immense blessing to me. We are all so different, but God sovereignly brought us together. We'd all separately been praying for Christian sisters in our class with whom to share the struggles and joys of our walks with God. What a powerful answer to prayer. I'm so thankful for all of the intimate times we had sharing, crying, and sharing Bible verses on our hearts. Love y'all!

It was a great time having this grill-out with the guys' accountability group (the male counterpart of our group!). I pray that the Lord has been blessing you men as well through your meetings!

Saturday Part 3

Family. And what better way to top off the night than to chill with some good ol' Cornell friends? The ones we can show our ugly sides to, and not be shunned. The ones who experienced with us the amazing church, fellowship, and spiritual discipleship we were so blessed with at Cornell. Our good ol' good ol' family.  :)