This is it. The culmination of three and a half years of blood, sweat and tears. The outpouring of all my hard- earned knowledge. The proof that I have indeed learned something in veterinary school. It was exciting. It was terrifying. It was downright. . . anti-climactic.

After months of board review on top of 8 hours at school and a class schedule that seemed like a good idea at the time but lately has seemed more masochistic than motivated, the day of reckoning was fast approaching. My buddy Mark and I made a pact at poker night at his place that we would study together the rest of the weekend. I don’t know what I would have done without him. We took turns explaining things to each other and keeping the dreaded 8-hour study sessions far less miserable than they otherwise would have been. We decided that together, we were rock stars, and if we could take the boards in pairs we’d SMOKE the damn thing. And perhaps most importantly, we served as reminders to each other that we were not alone in our suffering!

Unfortunately I couldn’t take Mark with me for the real thing, but several things we talked about were on the exam. And when I finished and nobody else was there to celebrate with me I kept thinking of him saying “I’m gonna be SOOOOOOO jealous of you on Tuesday night!” So I called him to schedule the margarita he promised me in exchange for giving him the scoop on the exam. As promised, he is highly jealous of me but he did buy me a premium margarita from OTB.  And I dished about the test. He has nothing to worry about.

I think I did pretty well. At least, I think I passed. Which is all I need. I certainly hope I did because I have told several people that already, and if I end up failing I will be one SAD SAD SACK in February when I find out that I have to retake it. I may not tell anyone if that’s the case!!!

But for now I am HAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!