Top 10 Photos of 2014

January 1, 2015 Ryan 1 Comment

Happy new year!

Yesterday I wrote a recap of the year and what I’m looking forward to in 2015, but just wanted to share some pictures. In 2014, it didn’t feel like I had quite the opportunity to use my camera as in previous years. In looking at my Lightroom collections, 2014 only had 5,500 images taken vs some other years that topped 15,000. Most of these opportunities usually come from long vacations in which I may have had 80+ GB of photos or from weddings or other events which may yield a thousand pictures in a day. Nevertheless after perusing my collection from the year I found some of these gems. Enjoy!

2014’s picks come from a variety of destinations (left to right, top to bottom). Some have links to their related posts. Most are new to the blog.

Fred Hartman Bridge - Baytown, TX — Fred Hartman Bridge – Baytown, TX

Partial solar eclipse - my front yard — Partial solar eclipse – my front yard

View from the Eiffel Tower at Paris of Las Vegas Boulevard - Las Vegas, NV. — View from the Eiffel Tower at Paris of Las Vegas Boulevard – Las Vegas, NV.

Fourche La Fave River - Nimrod Lake, AR — Fourche La Fave River – Nimrod Lake, AR

Valley of Fire State Park - Overton, NV — Valley of Fire State Park – Overton, NV

Orange Dream Japanese Maple, Dallas Arboretum - Dallas, TX — Orange Dream Japanese Maple, Dallas Arboretum – Dallas, TX

Downtown Manhattan Skyline - New York City, NY — Downtown Manhattan Skyline – New York City, NY

Saguaro National Park - Tucson, AZ — Saguaro National Park – Tucson, AZ

San Antonio River Walk - San Antonio, TX — San Antonio River Walk – San Antonio, TX

Great Salk Lake - Salt Lake City, UT — Great Salk Lake – Salt Lake City, UT

Blog

Twenty Fourteen in Review

December 31, 2014 Ryan Leave a comment

2014 is now over and it’s flown by, but it wasn’t without it’s moments. This year was a very productive year in getting things in order – namely being able to find a residency after graduation. There were many long days no doubt. Looking back, I really have to think back to where it all went.

In the first half of the year, I finished my third year rotations in medicine, surgery, and family medicine. Before I could catch my breath, it was time for round two of board exams and then summer was gone and I hit the ground running fourth year with neurology rotations and shortly after, interviews for residency. In the last week of December before Christmas, I had four interviews in different cities within the span of a week. It was pretty nuts.

Travel wise, I have flown just shy of 20K miles – primarily for school and only about a quarter for vacation and visiting family over Christmas. I realize that I haven’t taken many vacations this year and that they were all less than a week, mostly just a long weekend here and there. I didn’t get to go to any beaches or swimming, but did manage some hiking and mountain scenery in Salt Lake City, Tucson, and Albuquerque. I spent about 30 days of the year in a hotel which is strange to think about, but neat at the same time.

Twenty Fifteen

Happy new year!! I can’t believe it, it’s finally here, two zero one five. For me, I’m hoping for more time to spend with family and friends as fourth year finishes and I have the opportunity to travel and get out and see some cool places. Looking forward on the bucket list are more cruise destinations, visiting more continents, road trips to new places. I get giddy thinking of all the possibilities and places to visit.

In the second half of the year, I start on the job training as an intern in someplace wonderful. Where I will be for at least the next four years, I do not know. But I know that wherever I match, it will be an excellent learning opportunity to lay the foundation for wherever life leads. As January starts, things are starting to become more real as 2015 approaches and I realize it’s my last year of medical school and that this is the year I’ve been looking forward to the last four years.

Bring it on 2015.
Ryan

Vacations

Saguaro National Park – Tucson, AZ

December 16, 2014 Ryan Leave a comment

The other week, I had the opportunity to visit Phoenix and drive south to Tucson, AZ (about a 2 hour drive). This is one of the prettiest places I’ve had the chance to visit this year. Since I had the afternoon, I drove the scenic route through the western side of Tucson, AZ and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stop in Saguaro National Park.I was definitely glad I did! It’s not the biggest of national parks, but there’s plenty to see and do in an afternoon. The east side of Tucson has another mountain range with different scenery which is also worth spending another half or full day.

I had never seen saguaro cactus or any other cactus taller than a couple feet so I was really taken aback to see towering cactus that are 15-20 feet high. So they’re kinda like trees, except they just don’t congregate as a forest given the limited water in the desert. For a desert though, I was surprised how plentiful shrubs and cacti were. Even between Phoenix and Tucson, the scenery was quite different. Phoenix had citrus trees right outside of the restaurant and seemed to have more trees in general, while Tucson had more low lying shrubs and tall saguaro cacti.

ford fiesta in tucson arizona — Car of the day, 2015 Ford Fiesta SE Sedan

The hike I decided to do was the Hugh Norris Trail. It’s the longest trail at nearly 5 miles and is out and back. It has the quickest change in elevation, so in total is the most difficult of all the trails, but the good thing is it rises quickly so as you look back, the scenery changes quickly. About 20 minutes in and I felt as I was already halfway up the mountainside with a breathtaking view of the Sonoran Desert. It’s actually an easy hike because it is so well paved and maintained. There are stairs cut out into the rock on many sections and you won’t lose your footing. Since I was by myself and only had my camera, I didn’t go too much further, but I would definitely love to go back and hike the entire thing, definitely bringing water with me!

Aloft Tucson Arizona University and view from my room

Medical School

Much Thanks This Year

November 27, 2014 Ryan Leave a comment

2014 is not over, but I feel grateful for everything that has happened this year so far. There’s plenty to be thankful for – finishing (surviving at times) third year of medical school, completing another set of board exams, applying to residency, going on said interviews, making a couple short vacations out of them, and most of all having the support of friends and family along the way! By the end of the year, I anticipate that I will have flown about 20,000 miles and have driven another 2,000 miles, mostly for residency interviews. It’s all in good fun though. Who doesn’t like racking up airline miles? This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful to be able to take a break and catch my breath before hitting the interview trail again in December and January, one last push before rank order lists are due.

Thanksgiving dinner this year consisted of:

Roasted Turkey, 17 pounds (recipe – super easy!)
Szechuan green beans (recipe)
Brown rice (because no meal would be complete without rice)
Turkey Gravy (using the turkey drippings and some flour)
Chicken stuffing with added carrots, onion, celery from the turkey (boxed)
Sweet potato casserole (Eatzi’s)
Jalapeño Cornbread (Eatzi’s)
Cranberry Sauce (Eatzi’s)
Dessert: Apple pie (recipe)

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious and filling as always! We were really pleased with how the turkey came out. It was incredibly easy to make. It was our second year in a row following this recipe and as simple as it is tastes incredible. The meat is extremely tender and moist. It takes very little prep time assuming your bird is fully defrosted. This is key. And at about 13-15 minutes per pound, it cooks pretty quickly. And the best part at the end of the day, leftovers for Black Friday and the weekend! 🙂