January 29

Friday night was the "Eye Ball." That's the name we gave our third year party. It was the last "hoorah" before everyone left for rotations. I had a lot of mixed feelings about going...I'm upset that I'm not in school right now and that I still have a semester left and am not leaving for rotations...plus, a lot of us aren't seeing each other until graduation. It's happy and exciting and sad and a whole lot of other emotions. Dusty and I got ready- I curled my hair and actually wore makeup. Shannon shipped me the bridesmaid dress I was supposed to wear in her wedding back in October and I got to wear that- it was perfect because I don't know when I would've found time to get a dress. The party was only 15minutes from our hotel- at the aquarium in New Jersey, just over the bridge. It was really well done. We ate and danced with the sharks right there in the tanks around us! It was so great to see everyone and I felt so welcomed and loved. My friends took me onto the dance floor and kept me laughing the whole night. I thought they were kidding when they warned me I'd be like a celebrity when I arrived. They gave away superlative awards- like "most likely to be a millionaire," "most likely to work as a preceptor at the eye institute," "most likely to have the funkiest glasses..." My friends and I were voted "most likely to form a red hat society because they're basically already one." We were up front taking pictures with the certificate after our names were called when they announced "most inspirational" and gave it to me. I got a standing ovation and was truly honored and overwhelmed. So many of my teachers and classmates made time to come talk to me and tell me how I've inspired them and how great I looked or how far I've come. I was so glad I'd decided to go despite my initial hesitation.