The trip to Florida was wonderful. I only wish I could have stayed longer. The girls were great but boy having two kids is exhausting! I needed a vacation after I got back. We did have a blast though. We didn't stop moving. We went to the beach multiple times, spent all day at Big Kahuna's, bowled, raced go-carts, swam at the dock, raced hermit crab, went shell hunting and played lots of board games. The first couple days we stayed with Angie and Joe then the rest with Aunt Cathy. Click here for pictures of all our adventures.



Since I have been back, things have been pretty relaxed. I am on a research and child abuse rotation this month. I was able to go up to NYC last weekend. It was a great trip. Liz was kind enough to let me stay with her and I was able to meet up with a bunch of friends and even cousins Elizabeth, Nana, Felix and Cecilia who just moved to the city! I only wish I could have stayed longer. The remnants of Hannah made for a soaker on Saturday. I didn't let that keep me inside though. Stacey and I trudged through the storms to get some good cupcakes! Thankfully, it was just rain... no wind! Sunday was beautiful (calm after the storm) and I had lunch with the cousins and then spent the rest of the day in the park with Liz.



Today, on the anniversary of Sept 11, 2001, I was in court to observe how child abuse cases are handled. The judge had us all stand and say the plegde of allegiance and have our moment of silence. I must say I haven't said the pledge since my days back in elementary school! It is hard to believe how fast 7 years can pass by...

We do have a new addition to the Howton family. Sophia was born on September 8th. She is a beautiful baby! I can't wait to meet her this Christmas! Check out Chris' blog for pictures!

This Fay thing better get outta the way...

Today, I finished my ward month! It has been exhausting. I learned a lot, mostly how to manage my time and next time I am on wards it has to be a little less stressful. I am currently post-call. For those of you not familiar with the terminology, this means I have just finished spending 30 hours in the hospital (went in Friday 6AM left at Saturday Noon). I came home passed out and am now packing for my trip down to FWB, FL for my week of vacation. I can't wait! Tomorrow my mom is driving in with Sylvie and Annabeth. Then the girls and I will hop on the plane south. Hopefully, there will be no weather delays. I am praying for clear skies so I can soak up some much needed Florida sunshine. Angie and Joe are planning to pick us up at the airport. I'm sure the time will fly. If my mind was functioning a little more, I might think of more to write but I'm pretty beat. More later...

Ready to throw my pager out the window...

Being an intern on the wards has zapped the life out of me. All I have really done since the 28th of July is is sleep as soon as I walk in the door at home, eat when I can find food, answer my non-stop pager and admit, treat and discharge my patients. There isn't much time for anything else. I am trying to eat enough so that my pager doesn't pull my pants down. Monday was my first day off since I started the wards. My mom came into town and we went to the frame shop to start the process of framing almost all the wood-block prints from Japan and the other artwork we acquired while in Asia. I can't wait to fill my blank walls! Nothing else exciting going on in my life other the anticipation of going down to Florida in three weeks.

OHH and my birthday that is fast approaching...August 17th. I am thankful to have the day off from work and am not sure yet how I will celebrate. This morning, I got an email reminding me of Dustin's birthday (as if I could forget) it would be next Wednesday, the 13th. This will be the first year of my life that we won't be celebrating our birthdays together. I miss him dearly, think of him daily and am still wishing it were all a bad dream.

Howton Family Reunion

July 2008

I just uploaded some pictures from the gathering we had this week in DC. Click on the picture above to get to the gallery. My mom and I drove up there a couple times this week and then again for the weekend. I have been on a "easier" rotation the last two weeks and was thrilled to have some free time on my hands. Yesterday we had a birthday celebration for Sylvie, Ella and Katelyn's birthdays. Martha and Beth and their respective families were in town for the week from California. Beth's crew is in the middle of their move to NYC and are staying in DC till their place is available. Lucy and her family came over and Uncle Bill was in town. It was a wonderful. So many little kids now that included Tommy, Ashley and Katelyn (Martha and Mark's), Felix and Cecilia (Beth and Nana's), Maggie and Ella (Lucy and Hank's) , and Sylvie and Annabeth (Pete and Barb's).

Tomorrow morning I start my first month of wards. This will be the real deal. I just hope it goes well. I am looking forward to my week of vacation at the end of the four weeks when I am taking Sylvie and Annabeth down to FWB!!

At last...photos of my fabulous apartment!!!
Some of you have been asking about my apartment and so here you go....


You can't appreciate the view I have because I took these at night... but every night so far I have had an amazing sunset out my windows!


View of my kitchen area....with a dishwasher!


I lived for two years without a closet and now I have one big enough to live in! And the washer and dryer is priceless. No more calling for laundry pick up or visiting the laundromat.


And the bathroom...


My bedroom! I hardly know what to do with so much space.

Life as an intern so far....

I met up with Heather(my sister), Kurt (her husband) and Kurt's sisters (Kirsten and Andrea) at Colonial Down's to see the horse races. I didnt' win any money but everyone else did.

Kirsten, Andrea, Kurt and Heather


I went out to watch the fireworks with some of the other interns! That is Larissa, me, Navita and Carmen in the picture above. I think we were the only ones not stuck in the hospital.

A small portion of the over 20 or 30 gigs of pictures we took on our trip....

So I just have uploaded some pictures. Japan, Indonesia, Thailand (Bangkok, Ayathuya, Mekhala River Cruise and Chaing Mai) and Cambodia. I am limited to 60 pictures per album so I tried to pick only the best of the best. Wasn't easy to choose. Enjoy the photos!

And for those of you wondering......day 2 as an intern was very smooth and virtually stress free. I hope it continues this way. If I get out at a reasonable time tomorrow, I am going to go meet up with my sister Heather and her husband Kurt who are going to the horse races. They are vacationing south of VA beach this week. Sadly, I won't be able to see my nephews but I'll get to see them in August if all goes as planned.

Sink or Swim...

Today was day one as a doctor (aka the intern). I survived. I did a lot of swimming, 14 hours to be exact, and somehow managed to keep all my patients alive! It was non-stop swimming. I am with the newborns and you would think that would be easy but let me tell you on your first day it is not a good idea to be left alone with all your patients and your "supporting" senior resident to go to clinic. It was a good day for learning though. I should be set for just about anything that comes my way. Thankfully the nurses are awesome and helped keep things going. Tomorrow has to be better!

I have been sorting pictures non-stop since I got back in between going to all the orientation stuff. I hope to have some uploaded asap but not sure when that will be. My apartment is amazing. I couldnt' ask for anything else. I picked up my new Camry Hybrid yesterday and love it. My brain isn't functioning anymore so I can't think of anything else to write. Ohh, I will be down in FWB August 25th to August 30th with Sylvie and Annabeth (I volunteered to childsitting on my vacation!). I can't wait. I love those little girls. More later when I get a chance.

heading home

We are heading out of Siem Reap, Cambodia. It has been more than I could ever have imagined. The temples of Angkor Wat were spectacular. We only saw a small portion because there are so many. The guides we had were able to tell us the best ones to spend our time on. I will not be able to put up pictures until I return to the states. I found out I will be able to move into my apartment on the 17th and have a car on the 18th! Now just the long flight back...about 20 hours and four planes (Siem Reap to Bangkok to Tokyo to Chicago to DC). Its been a wonderful trip and I am so glad I was able to spend it with my mom. More later...

Taking a break to check out another Temple.


Beer (our awesome guide) and me at a waterfall


Our elephants...Ms. Chandi and Mr. Noon.


On Ms Chandi in Chiang Mai, Thailand


Flying over Bali in the helicopter!

We are heading to Siem Reap, Cambodia tomorrow morning. Chiang Mai has been fabulous. We have done more than imaginable. Some of the highlights.....meeting hill tribes (Mong, Karen, Lisu, and Akah), white water rafting, mountain biking, elephant rides, ox-cart rides, meeting with the witch doctors, meeting wonderful new friends and many other things that escape my mind at this hour of the night. We are exhausted. There are only three more days. Two in Cambodia and then the long trek home. We just mailed a box of stuff we have bought. I will try to upload a picture or two but not sure if it will work. More later of course!

Thailand....

We just finished up our time in Bangkok and Ayathuya. It has been awesome so far. The morning after arriving we took a car up to tour the old capital Ayathuya. It was really beautiful....loads of Buddist and Hindu temples. Some only the remnants due to invaders coming in and destroying them throughout the centuries. The Summer Palace outside of the city looked like something you would find in France. Nothing like what we had been seeing in the rest of our sightseeing in Asia. After that we headed for our long tail boat trip to meet our converted rice barge that would take us down the river from Ayathuya back to Bangkok with a stop overnight on the way. It was just the two of us and another couple from Italy on their honeymoon. The whole trip was one of my favorite parts of our trip thus far. Really awesome. The Thais are so sweet and seem to care deeply for their country. I took tons of pictures of course!
As for the rest of our time in Indonesia, it was nice but not as fabulous as Bali. We were in Yogyakarta after we left Bali, a few hours flight to the west. It was predominantly Muslim and as two women traveling they seemed to think we needed to be "taken care of". Kind of annoying. We had tours of Borobudur the large Buddist Temple and Prambanan the Hindu temple. We were pretty much the only Westerners in the whole place. Everyone was begging for our pictures with them. Both the temples were great but the heat was killer! I never knew you really do need an umbrella in the sunshine! I was actually ready to leave Yogya unlike the other places we had gone. The last straw for me was when the villas we were staying at insisted on waking us up at 4 am with a wake up call when we said we did not want or need one for our 530 am ride to the airport and came back at 430 am to wake us up in person since we didnt' heed the first one. Of course if this is the worst thing that happens the trip is a success. I shouldn't complain. They were trying to help us. Anyhow, I found that my cell phone works here. No idea the roaming charges but it was awesome to call the US so easily! Not sure if it will still work in Chiang Mai where we are heading tomorrow.


View from Borobudur


Me at the Nirvana level of Borobudur


A gold leaf pedicure for the buddha in Ayathuya


Me in Ayathuya


On the long tail boat...


Typical view from our boat


Our Boat


Early morning breakfast pick up for the monks.


Riding in the tuk-tuk in Bangkok

Bali is absolutely beautiful...

We arrived late last night from Kyoto. It was about a 7 hour flight but only one time zone away in the southern hemisphere. The flight felt pretty short relative to the 13 hour flight to Japan. We are staying in the mountains in the north of Bali in Ubud at Ibah Villas. The island reminded me of Grenda a little bit but it is more cared for and established. Everywhere you turn there is a shrine to the gods and incense burning. There are little palm holders with flowers in front of doorways all over the ground. I have accidently stepped on a couple not noticing them. Hope thats not bad karma! The villa we are staying at is breathtaking. We were in total awe at our place. The views of the mountains and rivers are amazing. It is completely secluded. When we arrived we had the hotel clerk guide us on a 5 minute walk by flashlight to our place. The people are very sweet and the merchants are eager to have us purchase their goods. We bought a few things already. The currency is out of control. A millions indonesian rupiah is about a hundred dollars. Hard to keep track of how much your really spending with all the zeros. Tomorrow we take our heliocopter ride around Bali. I can't wait. I hope the weather stays clear! Will try to post pictures later.

The　Golden Temple in the rain


A random shrine in the　Imperial Park


Mom and me in the Sento Palace (no palace left, only a garden...)


One of the Geisha we happened upon. She had her own papparazzi following her!

We arrived safely to Kyoto, Japan. The trip wasnt too bad. It is beautiful here. The people are so nice and wanting to do everything to make us comfortable. I know about four words in japanese and it is not enough but we are managing. It was raining yesterday and hopefully today it is clearing up. The Ryokan where we are staying it wonderful. We spent yesterday exploring the west side of the river and today are going to see the Imperial Palace. These temples are getting old pretty fast. They are all starting to look the same. I would write more but the computer keyboard is driving me crazy! I will try to post photos later too.

On the move...

I moved out of my apartment in Brooklyn on Friday. It was the easiest move I have ever made. Perhaps this is because I was off picking up my diploma on my last official day of medical school while the movers packed the truck. After spending a night with Pete, Barb and the girls in DC, we headed down to spend some time at the farm. Before getting there, we stopped off in Richmond and I found an apartment. As long as they approve me, I should be able to move in as soon as I get back. It is everything I wanted and more. I am trilled with it. Then, before heading back to DC, I stopped off and tested out a Camry Hybrid. I liked it enough to put down a deposit and they should have one in when I return from the trip. The weather has been wonderful for the long weekend. We all took the boat out on the lake. Sylvie and Annabeth did some surfing behind the boat. Tomorrow my mom and I leave for our three week trip to Asia. We are hitting up Kyoto, Japan first. I hope to be able to update the blog from there but we shall see if that is possible.


Mini UR 1904 Reunion with Liz and Ashleigh...the interior designer, lawyer and doctor. We have come a long way.


Waiting at the train station after picking up my MD diploma in Bay Shore!


I went to Coney Island with Chris. We rode the "world's largest ferris wheel" in the swinging cars. Astroland is going to be torn down at the end of the summer.


Chris and me having some ice cream on the board walk.

Dr. Gwin

At last the day arrived. I graduated from medical school on May 3rd. (Although, I don't technically finish until May 23rd). It was an awesome week and weekend. I had so many visitors. Angie flew in from Texas; Dad, Heather and Aunt Cathy from Florida; Mom, Uncle Pete, Barbara, Sylvie and Annabeth from Virginia; and Martha from California. It was really nice to have everyone there to mark the occasion.

The ceremony was more than I had ever imagined. I invisioned something similar to my MPH graduation where we had a steel drum band and some Cricket Coach as our speaker. This far exceeded all that. It was held in Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. The speaker, Dr. Kim was amazing and it was all finished in less than two hours! We had a delicious dinner across the street to end the evening.

Thanks to everyone for all their support these last four years. It has been quite the journey. From doing MPH my first year in Grenada to then surviving category 4, Hurricane Ivan to then moving to Long Island and living in a hotel with three other girls for 80 days while completing my first term of med school. I can hardly believe it has come to an end. The next thing on the agenda is to finish my last week of rotations and move out of Brooklyn. I am packing up now and will be in search of a place to live and a vehicle. On May 27th my mom and I are heading to Asia for 3 weeks. I am really excited! We are going to Kyoto, Bali, Yogyakarta, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Siem Reap. I have a lot of reading to do to update myself on on these places. After I get back I will start my residency orientation. Then July 1st marks day one as an intern. I found out I start in the newborn nursery. Perfect with me!



Lunch with the crew before graduation (minus Allison and Angie)


Me, Martha and Uncle Pete. Martha made her guest appearance before heading to a friend's wedding.


Me and Mom


Aunt Cathy, Me, Uncle Pete, Mom


Me and my sister Heather


Barbara, Me, Pete, Annabeth and Sylvie


Angie, me and Allison


Dr. Gwin and Dr. Peter


The MD, MPH girls


Me and Dad

With Angie on the Brooklyn Promenade


We walked the Brooklyn Bridge.


In Rockfeller Center


My stethoscope cover courtesy of Angie!