My Virtual Absence

I've been quite a slacker here in cyberspace, and I suppose a word of explanation is in order. In mid-June I began a four week rotation at Dixie Regional in St. George. Lee was just four weeks old at that point so you can imagine how excited Pam was about me going on this little adventure.
While there I met many friendly people both in and outside the hospital. It was a great learning experience, but it was not fun to be away from the family. Pam and the kidlets took advantage of the time however and spent much of the four weeks visiting grandparents in Colorado, southern Utah, and Salt Lake. The bright side of my stay in St. George was being close to the temple. I was able to attend a session each week I was there. I also brought my golf clubs down to experience some of the famous St. George courses. My first and last venture however was less than enjoyable. Trying to navigate an unfamiliar course, at a proximity of only half a mile from the surface of the sun was not my idea of ideal golfing. I suspect one would find it more enjoyable in the late fall.
My second rotation began right after coming home, at a Walmart pharmacy in west valley city. While it doesn't sound like the most inspiring setting, it wasn't nearly so close to the surface of the sun and above all, I was able to be home again. The preceptor there is great, and we got along really well (in fact I hope to join him for some pheasant hunting later this fall). Even so, I wasn't sure the past four weeks there were ever going to end. Paying tuition to work for free is not the most inspiring motivation to get up every morning. Thankfully the duration did come to an end and I now have about two weeks at home before classes begin again in earnest.