purses and pharmacy school

I had a really great day today.

We got a babysitter and Skip and I bolted off to get a quick bite to eat. Chipotle tacos...mmm...

Then we made our way over to Savers, one of the best thrift stores in the Twin Cities. Skip needed jeans. I, on the other hand, went right to the purses. I love purses. Love them. But I have a problem. I prefer functionality over fashion 10 times out of 10. And that usually means that I end up with a really ugly, but highly user-friendly purse. I'm very picky, too. I spent a better part of a year looking for the perfect leather backpack purse. I found it at a street fair in Escondido, CA. But like my hairstyles, I am never content to stick with one for very long. Although I love the cutsy little clutch things, my planner doesn't fit in that. I don't care for the huge bags where everything gets lost. Lastly, and most importantly, I am ultra cheap. I buy $5 purses at Walmart. And I've never been the girl where others say, "What a cute bag!" The first thing my mother-in-law said when they visited this fall was, "Oh, you need a new purse." Gee, thanks. I just picked that one up about a month ago.

Savers, I have discovered, is the best place to experiment with purses. The last purse I bought there was a small corduroy number that I really like. It's actually a really cute purse. Today, I decided to take some risks and buy something that is not typical for me. I'm almost 31. It's time to move on from backpack purses, canvas and denim. Ok, I really don't have one right now, but I have in the past.

What do you think? (no, really, what do you think?) I spent $10 on all 3!!!

This last one is for my mom.

Our next stop was the U of MN for the pharmacy school preview day. Basically it was an introduction to the program with a panel of current students, pharmacists and a tour of the facility. It was AWESOME. It so confirmed in me that this is the profession that I want to get in to. I just don't want to wait for 2 years! I'll be patient because I know that a lot needs to happen in me and in our family before I'm ready. I think the U's program would be a good fit for me. It's familiar (I finished my bachelor's degree there). It's close. It's cheaper for me as a resident. It's the 3rd best in the nation. It's the driving force of change for pharmacy in the nation. And so on. So we'll see. I'm just very very excited. And very blessed to have my husband supporting me 100% on this. He was blown away today with the program and the field of pharmacy. Did you know that pharmacy and dentistry school give the greatest return on your education investment? Bet you didn't. It's a good field.

I'm now off to enjoy my homemade clam chowder, a glass of wine and a good crusty bread. Mmmm.