Chronicles of a DI

I woke up this morning and the first thought in my head was, "Holy cow, it's almost over." ("It" being the dietetic internship, the single-most important step so far in my becoming a registered dietitian.) Three weeks from today, I will be sitting at a graduation luncheon and giving my final thanks to all of my previous preceptors; the only thing left to do will be to take the registration exam, and that "RD" will finally be mine to claim.

Three weeks.

Fourteen working days.

Seriously?

Was it really ten months ago that I moved to Napa? I remember so clearly the first day of work in August; I was a hot mess of excitement, nerves, and fear: excited to start the next chapter in my life, nervous about working in the new and strange environment of Napa State Hospital, and so totally terrified that I wasn't cut out for a career as a registered dietitian.

I can say with complete certainty that I have made leaps and bounds from where I was on that first day last Fall - professionally and personally. In addition to learning confidence (something I always seemed to struggle with), I've stopped biting my nails, become a regular gym rat, and changed my hairstyle (I understand that these last three things pale in comparison to the first, but I'm still proud of them nonetheless).

There are so many things I want to recount about this internship, but to give each story it's rightful attention, I'm going to share each over a series of posts. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy recalling them. This has really been such a special journey (read: crazy ride) in my life and I hope that by writing down my experiences I won't forget a single, important detail.

Here goes.

'Tis the Season!

Some of my earliest family memories involve the winter holidays. As far back as I can remember, Thanksgiving morning meant waking up early to catch the beginning of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. While glued to the television in the family room, my sisters and I would start peeling apples for the pie as my mom prepared the crust. After dinner while Dad did the dishes, my sisters and I would curl up on the couch in our turkey coma to watch the first Christmas movie of the season. Whether it was It’s a Wonderful Life or How the Grinch Stole Christmas, we’d undoubtedly be asleep before the credits rolled. 

Within a few days of Thanksgiving, we’d be back to the family room to set up the Christmas tree. As Dad hung the lights my sisters and I would hang our homemade ornaments while my mom arranged decorations throughout the rest of the house. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday.