Merry Christmas!

One of my most favorite things to do on Christmas is seeing Christmas lights! Clint and I made a date night out of it. We first went and ate at our favorite Tex-Mex place, then went to Starbucks and picked up coffee. I got the Hazelnut Latte. YUMMY! Then we hit the streets! The first neighborhood we went to was actually just houses around a lake. It was really beautiful because the lights bounced off the water and made the whole neighborhood light up. Then we went to the house pictured above. It was so cool! When we pulled up, we turned our radio to a certain station and as you listen, the lights light up to the beat of the music. It lasted about 20 minutes and was the neatest thing ever! We will definitely be making it a tradition to go see those lights. We had so much fun and it really felt like Christmas.

We have stayed really busy this month, as most people do around this time. We've gone to a few Christmas parties, a wedding and a birthday party. It's been so much fun spending time with friends. This week is going to be pretty busy. I am in Fort Worth and working the next 2 days. Clint is in Corsicana shadowing a doctor for 3 days. Then we will meet up and begin our rounds of family stuff. I am looking forward to spending time with our families. It is always nice to catch up with people you don't get to see much of. I am also looking forward to spending time with Clint. Next semester is going to be crazy so I am going to try really hard to just sit back, relax and enjoy the next 2 weeks.

I hope everyone has a good Christmas. I think sometimes this is the most stressful time of year and can be pretty hard for some. So even though I hope everyone has a good time, I guess I just want to recognize that it is okay if it's not for everyone.

Here's to a good new year, full of learning, growing and loving.

Book Blog

I finished "The Time Traveler's Wife" this past week. I can't think of the authors name right now... Anyway, to be honest I wasn't a huge fan. I think if you like that type of writing, it probably would have been really good but I just couldn't get into it. It is being made into a movie and I'm not sure if I will watch it either. The book is about a man who is able to time travel but he is unable to control when, how, or where he goes. But he generally only goes to his past. It is also about his wife and how they deal with his time traveling. That is really all I can say without giving anything away. It is a popular book so I'm not going to say never read it, but just saying it wasn't my "cup of tea".

Thanksgiving!

The good news: Thanksgiving was great. The bad news: I didn't take any pictures!

I love anytime that I get to spend time with family and this year was no different. We spent a lot of time with my family this year, not really by design but because Clint's family didn't really do much because everyone was going to be out of town.

I thoroughly enjoyed having some good stress free time with Clint. That doesn't happen often, so we took advantage of it this weekend. Saturday I got to spend time with some of my friends from high school. Man, I forgot how much I miss being with those girls. I would love to go back in time and hear our conversations 10 years ago versus our conversations now. It would be hilarious. Those girls helped me through a very hard time in my life and am so thankful for them. They were a God send.

Sunday we were back in Fort Worth. We went to church and had lunch with some friends that we hadn't seen in a long time. It was great catching up.

Clint and I are at a really great place right now. God has answered so many prayers in the last month that have really weighed on Clint and I. It's like He is telling us that He is behind it all because so many things have happened so close together. Fort Worth in itself is a huge blessing. The friends we have met here are lifetime friends. In fact, the 2 couples that we have community with each week, both live less than a half mile from us (which was on purpose) now. It is so nice to know that we have a family here. God has been good. He has heard my prayers. What more can I ask?

Now on to Christmas!!!

First, update then , Book Blog

Well, I am writing this blog entry at 10:45 at night, which is late for me, because I cannot sleep! It could be that cup of coffee I had at 7 but whatever....It was worth it! Tonight we had our small group at our house. I fixed manicotti with meat sauce, dinner rolls, salad and cookie cake for dessert. It was yummy! And as usual the conversation was great. It's really cool because there are 2 other couples and they are all about to live within walking distance of us. We have always joked about living in community with each other and now, I guess it's pretty close to it. Tonight we talked about a lot of different things and we also walked down to Daniel and Claire's potentially new house. I love those guys!

So I just finished Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. I read Blue Like Jazz back in college (with everyone else!) and I have started this book several times but just couldn't get into it. Finally, I think my spiritual journey led me to this book. It helped answer a few things. I really enjoyed this book a lot. Clint and I were just talking to Bill and Jennee (Clint's parents) about what we felt like church should look like and lots of other things and I think this book helped me with those things. I love Miller because he is a lover of literature and stories. He relates, in this book, how the relationship we have with Jesus is more like a relationship between two lovers (namely Romeo and Juliet). He also talks about how since the Fall, we basically are walking around looking for acceptance, love and intimacy from others because we are separated from the One who provides that for us in a perfect form. I am no expert on theology or theologians but I feel like his ideas are very original. He relates things in a way that is easy to understand even though it is not the easiest concepts. I would recommend this book for sure!

New Goals!

I was reading my friend Kayla's blog and she was talking about some goals she has set for herself to complete before she turns 25. I thought that was a great idea and came up with some of my own. So here goes!

1. Take a knitting class
2. Go camping (like tent, sleeping bag, etc. kind of camping).
3. Blog at least once a month. (Hopefully more, but lately that has been difficult for me.)
4. Pay off a student loan. We have paid off some of them but we have the 2 biggest left. I am hoping to knock out at least one of them.
5. Train for a half marathon. WHAT?? Yes, you heard right. I have been running since June pretty consistently and the other day I was thinking, why am I doing this, I have no goal. Clint is running a full in the Cowtown (the Fort Worth marathon) so I thought, what the heck! Jokingly I have said that I will run a full when I turn 30 just to prove to myself that I am only as old as I let myself be. So, I am 5 years away from 30 so I better prove that I can at least do this much!!
6. Have my wedding pictures made into an album. At this point, I really don't care about it being fancy or anything. I just want an album that can at least prove that we are married!
7. Volunteer at the Humane Society.
8. Get re-certified in CPR.
9. Take a dog training course with Cherry.
10. Make an apron.
11. Maintain my current weight or lose another 2-3 pounds. I have lost like 6 pounds this last year and I really want to be sure I don't gain that back. And, if I can muster some more self control, I want to go for another 2-3 pounds. This would bring me down to my high school weight!
12. Take a multivitamin everyday. I take them some times but not very consistently like I should.
13. Finish decorating my room and the guest room.

Well, I hear a crying baby so I better go!

Oh, and why 13? Because it is half way to 26!

From Texas Medicine Magazine

Clint gets this magazine now that he is in medical school and sometimes I will read them. Here is a little excerpt that I found interesting.

"Evidence shows hospitals with policies supporting exclusive breastfeeding are realizing multiple benefits for patients, the communities they serve- and themselves. These hospitals report improved infant health outcomes, lower infant readmission rates and less infant time in the NICU. Mothers recover more quickly from birth while also receiving protection against type 2 diabetes and breast and ovarian cancers. Overall patient satisfaction is increased and hospital costs are reduced...Despite the compelling benefits, the majority of Texas hospitals still lag behind in assessing and updating their breastfeeding policies...The reality is that the short and long term benefits-to both the hospital and your patients-far outweigh the initial costs.

Update

Yes, Clint and I are still alive. It has been too long since I posted last!! So, what has been going on, you ask? Well in September I opened my own business. Okay, that makes it sound fancy but I started watching a few kids at my house. I have 2 right now and will get a third in November. I absolutely love it! It can be really hard work and sometimes I want to cry right along with them but it is so rewarding. One is about 5 months and the other is 3 months. There is lots of bottles, diapers and rocking to go around! I never thought I would be doing this in a million years! But my thoughts on it are, I knew I could do it because I did it throughout high school and college, I found moms who needed it and I know that one day I can pursue the "professional career". It isn't at all what Clint and I thought up for me but I honestly am content with it. No bosses breathing down my neck, no commute in the morning, I can get stuff done around the house during the day and I am not totally wiped out at the end of the day. I am really thankful to God for giving me this. I have had to swallow some pride. But, you know, I got a great education, something that will be a launching point for me when I decide to jump back into the "real world" one day. And I wouldn't give for that.

Clint is doing well. He is full blown into second year. He is really enjoying this year because he doesn't have class as much, it is more self study so he likes that much better than lecture. He is playing soccer again and he is training for a marathon with a friend. And sometimes he helps me out with the babies. He stays pretty busy but recently things have really calmed down so I get to see him even more which is awesome. I think the third year of marriage is one of the better ones. We are really enjoying our time spent together and have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves despite his demanding schedule.

I have posted before about some of our friends starting a small group. It is 2 other couples besides us and they both came to us from med school. We are so blessed to have them. Being in medical school is a very unique experience, one that makes it hard to identify with other couples. Not saying we isolate ourselves because we do have friends from church but these 2 couples have been amazing. We have laughed, cried, prayed and shared together and it has really helped Clint and I with our own walks. We meet with them once a week for community but we also see each other almost every weekend.

Things I like about living in Fort Worth/ medical school: lots of stuff to do, not too much traffic, finding more and more local places to eat, meeting new people, our house, indoor soccer (this one is for Clint), being able to walk to museums and ice cream shops, downtown, lots of rain (so far)

Things I don't like: even with little traffic, it still takes at least 15 minutes to get anywhere, things are generally more expensive, I don't feel as safe, learning how to get around Fort Worth and finding places, can be really overwhelming sometimes (though this is getting better)

Oh yes, and I can't forget about Cherry! Cherry says: I love: that mom is home all day, my doggy door, my grass outside (also known as a backyard), my new bed and getting attention whenever possible. I don't like: getting a bath, having my nails trimmed, or being scolded by mom.

Well, I guess that is it. It is supposed to rain tomorrow. I planted some garlic. 3 in the front beds and 3 in the back. The back beds get a lot more sun so I am going to see which ones do better.

Now It's Time to be Serious...

Ok, so I said a few posts ago that I have been really thinking about what I believe, why I believe it, etc. This all started well, I guess really, when my dad died and nobody had a good answer for me. But my spiritual journey really got interesting this last year in unemployment, starting med school, etc. I picked up a book called Soul Survivor in August and didn't put it down. I loved it. Suddenly, things that never got answered, things that I just couldn't fit together, did. Here is the analogy I have for all of it, and excuse me for using science, what can I say, I am a nerd. In organic chemistry lab, we would go into class, not really knowing what to expect. Many times we had to take something like a Zantac, and using what we knew about what made up the Zantac, we could eventually isolate some compound in the pill. So we would spend probably 2 hours doing that and then we would be expected to perform experiments on that compound. Now, if we isolated the correct compounds, it should melt at a certain temperature, it should look a certain way, when analyzed, it should come out pure, with no other compounds present. (Now, was that the case for me personally, many times, no. Maybe if Clint had been my o chem partner...) Anyway, I guess that's how I feel my religion should be. I want to isolate it. I want to try to take out all the stuff and be left with what is pure. I want people to be able to test me and analyze me and find nothing extraneous. Just me and my God. I know that isn't possible but that is what I want to strive for. Mainly, I want to provide answers to sceptics and love and peace to everyone. That is what I want. At the end of the day, it comes down to faith. I can't reason with people about God if they don't want to open their minds to the idea of him but if nothing else, I want to love them. I also am questioning our role, as Christians, in war when Jesus preached nonviolence. I am tired of relying on a government to take care of the poor when Jesus told us to do that.
Something else I have been struggling with lately is...meat. I know, sounds weird. So here it is. I just finished The Lion and the Honeycomb by Leo Tolstoy. Great book even though he is a bit off, I think. One thing he talks about is that he gave up eating meat. Not because of Christianity or anything but because of the treatment of the animals. He talks of going to a slaughterhouse and how horrible it was. I asked myself if I went to a slaughterhouse, if I could keep eating meat and I decided I couldn't. I would probably go running off crying. Honestly, I think it would really mess me up. I can't stand the thought of animals getting hurt. I told Clint this, and I stand by it, that if he killed a deer, I would eat it. My reasoning is because that deer had a good life. He ate in the fields, maybe fought and won over some cute does and then one day, it was all over. That I can handle. Cows being left to walk around in their own poop, being fed a diet of corn (which is not their natural diet and probably makes them sick). Chickens that go their entire life in a pen that is so small, they can't flap their wings. I can't do it. Sigh. So for now, I am not eating meat. I don't know when I will start eating it again, we will see.
Well this is plenty long. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Pics of August

Since I have badly neglected my blog, I thought I would go back and post some highlights from August and September. On Labor Day Weekend, we went to Joanna's parent's lakehouse. It was an absolute blast. All the dogs came. Here is Cherry on the bridge that goes down to the dock.
This is Duke, Brad and Stephanie's dog. He loves the water. We were hoping that Cherry would see how great it is, but she never got close to the water. Duke could fetch for hours in the water. He loves it.

This is the back of Brad and Stephanie and Clint and Daniel are on the tubes. Apparently real lake people have tube wars and they try to bump each other off the tubes. I have never heard of that. Stephanie and Joanna represented the girls on this one. They both were able to puch their husbands off the tubes. Way to go girls!

This is Daniel. He has a bug in his fingers. He ate the bug. Yes, he is in medical school. Do I need to say anything else?

This is the new addition to the gecko family that lives in our mudroom area. Welcome, Susie! I hope you don't get eaten by the family of garden snakes living in the grass. Good luck!

Like I said in my last post, mom and I went and saw Paul McCartney. Unfortunately, we were so far away, Paul couldn't see my beautiful mom, fall in love and propose to her right then and there. Oh, well, maybe next time mom!

Yes, that's right, there were actual fireworks that went off INSIDE the Cowboy stadium. This was the part of the concert where everyone was on their feet, clapping and dancing. And during one of the songs talking about peace, I put up the peace sign and went right on with the crowd...I am not ashamed to say it!

Look at the size of that place! And this was by no means the whole building.

Okay, my one picture of Blair. Isn't she so cute! 6 months on Thursday.

Update

I have been so bad about updating this thing for the month of August, so here is an abbreviated version.

August 17, 2009 mom and I went to see Paul McCartney at the new Cowboy's stadium. He was awesome. The music was awesome. The company was awesome...It was awesome. He played for 2 1/2 hours. And he really did sound good. It was great to hear these songs that I have heard since I was born, played on a live stage by one of the most talented musicians ever.

Clint and I and 2 other couples formed a small group of sorts. We meet every week and eat dinner together, pray, talk about our week and discuss our strugles and victories. It's like going to the gas station. You start running on fumes after being bombarded all week and all you can think is, I just have to make it to small group. Then my needle slowly goes back to the F and I can make it through for another week. It has been such a blessing.

After much prayer and thought, I am going to be a stay at home mom....well, not really. I am not pregnant but I am going to start watching kids at our house soon. God has provided me with 2 moms that want to go back to work but don't want to leave their kids at a daycare. So starting Sept. 14 I will get my first little one. She is 4 months old and then in November I will take on a little boy of 3 months. This has been a huge answer to prayer. God is good. Sometimes, He just wants us to wait around a bit.

I just finished a book called Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey. It is and has changed my view on a lot of things. Many of them are controversial and I am very afraid to even put them down here so for now, I will leave it at that. I am not going to turn into an atheist or anything crazy, but it has some ideas that I think are wonderful but totally not at all what I expected to be thinking about right now, at this point in my spiritual walk. I know I am being vague, but these are things that are on my mind a lot, things I want to pray about and research more into but I even put them to paper.

I guess that's it for now. Hope everyone is well and had a great August. Today, the high was 90. What a wonderful blessing.

Frisbees Save the World!!!

I was reading the Dallas Morning News today, and came across an article about global warming. They were saying that some scientists have come up with ways to reverse global warming. So here are their suggestions, and I am not joking about these.

1. Fling into the air, fribee-like-discs that will block the sun. They will be sent so high, that they will be pulled by the earth's rotation and suspended there. It will be like an eclipse all the time. This is to help block the sun's rays. Potential issues with this: hello, these are frisbees, how well can this idea possibly work? What happens if one falls out of the sky? It could kill someone!

2. Spray sulphurous gas into the atmosphere. Again, this blocks the sun's rays. Potential issues: I am reminded of general chemistry for this one, sulphur + hydrogen (H2O) = sulfuric acid!!! Acid = burn people, animals, crops, not to mention ruin water supply, acid rain destroying everything. And believe it or not, this is the most viable option. Also in the article, they said that the minute you stop spraying this stuff into the air, you will have reversed all of it, another words, this doesn't get rid of all the carbon in the air or anything like that. Basically, it will cause the planet to heat up very quickly because it hasn't gotten rid of the carbon. It's like putting a bunch of band aids on a deep, gaping wound. It will hold off the flow of blood, but you need antiseptic ointment and stitches to heal the wound. Also, I am confused why carbon is so harmful but sulphurous gas is ok?

3. Send big ships out into the ocean equipped with giant sprayers that will spray ocean water so high into the sky that they form clouds, again blocking the sun. Wow.

I am beginning to think our world is lost if these are the great scientists working to save the planet. I am so glad that God created this world and will have the ultimate say on what goes on around here. Otherwise I think our species would have long ago died away.

For a differing opinion on everything, I would highly recommend this article. It was sent to Clint, via his uncle. http://www.crichton-official.com/speech-ourenvironmentalfuture.html

I don't know what the answer is. Nor if there truly is one. I guess I try not to get too hyped up about anything, whether it is global warming or boyfriend cut blue jeans.

I do know, I will never look at a frisbee the same way.

Many Things In One Post!

I have been terrible about updating my blog this month so I thought I would put lots of random things into this one post. The first pics are of my birthday/our anniversary. The next pics are of my adventures in making organic strawberry jam! So let us get everyone caught up!

This is Texas de Brazil, where many cows, sheep, pigs and chickens come to die. It is also where many arteries are clogged, full of saturated fat. Okay, that was a bit morbid but it is true. Men walk around with big skewers of meat and cut off as much as you would like! It's wonderful! The meat was cooked so well. Plus there is a giant salad bar with aged cheeses, olive oil, bread, sushi, salmon, vegetables, and of course salad. We loved it! This is one of Clint and I's favorite things to do. Eat at a great restaurant with even better food. We will splurge when it comes to eating! Happy 3 years to us!

This is the cake Clint got me for my birthday. It was the big 25 (a quarter of a century!) so I asked for a cake from a bakery (with lots of chocolate).

Clint sent me flowers at work. It was a total surprise! This was for our anniversary. I am so blessed to have Clint. He can be romantic! I got to tell everyone who came through the doors whose flowers they were and why he sent them. It made my day to have a reminder like that of my husband.
Now to totally switch gears... I made some strawberry jam this weekend. It was my first time but don't get too excited about my cooking abilities. This is the easiest recipe in the world. It's just 1/2 package of no cook, freezer safe pectin, 3/4 cup sugar and 2 lbs of strawberries (or any berries will do). You cut up all the strawberries into small chunks, then add the sugar and pectin.

pectin + sugar + strawberries = yummy jam in less than 20 minutes!

I ended up with 5 jars of jam. I used organic strawberries, bought at $2.5o a lb. So I spent a little over a dollar for 1 jar of organic strawberry jam. I was very proud of myself about this. Clint and I tried it and it is sooo good. Now we have jam for the next...probably 5 to 6 months.

It was funny canning all of those strawberries because it made me think of my ancestors that probably spent a lot of time canning their crops for the winter months (or month in Texas' case). In early spring I was all excited about summer. I couldn't wait to try my hand at gardening and really feel connected to my food. Now that I have done that and summer has gone on, each day as hot as the next, I feel more tired. It makes me think of all the hard work my ancestors must have put in. Planting crops, raising them, toiling under the sun to harvest it all, then preserving them, preparing them. After the hot months are over, I'm sure some of them started all over and planted things for the next spring or even that fall. I think it is wonderful that God has made us a time for play and growth and a time for rest and thought. It makes me very nostalgic sometimes, thinking how we moderns are so disconnected from the earth. We take for granted all the little things, like strawberries. I hope I am never too disconnected from the simple things in life. I hope I make time to enjoy a gentle breeze, the feel of damp grass or the subtle twinkle in a star.

Last Weekends Happenings

Last weekend was super fun and busy. Friday, my immediate family all went to the Rangers game. It was lots of fun just getting to hang out with everyone. Justin, Nathan and Clint sat together to discuss the finer points of baseball and the girls talked and passed Blair around. It was good until it started pouring down rain! After waiting 2 hours for it to quit, we finally gave up on it. I hope it will become another family tradition because it was so great to be with everyone.

Saturday, Clint's parents came over to eat lunch. We went to this great local Italian/ Lebanese restaurant over near TCU. It was sooo good. They had a buffet so we got to try both types of food. After that we went to the Swiss Pastry Shop and ate dessert. They sell all sorts of baked goods and Grandma (Clint's grandma) loves their apricot pie. So Jennee bought her a pie and we got coffee and pie to eat there. Then we went back to the house and talked. Clint's dad is a man of many talents. He is not only a doctor but an electrician! So he also fixed the lights in our fan which was much needed because we were down to one light in that room. That night we went to a pool party for all TCOM students. There were probably 30-40 people including doctors in the area/ professors. It was a lot of fun getting to meet some new people not to mention Clint won a scholarship.

Sunday, we went to church and just kinda took it easy.

Details of birthday/anniversary fun will come soon!

Book Blog

Clint and I just read "Same Kind of Different as Me". If you read another book this year, please read this one. It is excellent. We will definitely be buying (which is a big deal because we are so frugal) this book to read again and again. It is a nonfiction book centered around Fort Worth and a rich art dealer and a homeless man. It will definitely make you stop and think. Even Clint teared up reading it. It is so touching. Denver, the homeless man spends thirty years as a sharecropper in Louisiana then moves to Fort Worth where he meets Ron Hall at a homeless shelter. They go through a lot as friends. I think Denver has to be a modern day prophet, he is so wise and some of the things he says will really amaze you. If anyone has read this book, please leave a comment about what you thought of it. Clint and I read it within 2 days it was that good!

Book Blog

I just finished "I'm Proud Of You" by Tim Madigan. Tim writes for the Star-Telegram here in Fort Worth and also happened to be a good friend of Fred Rogers a.k.a. Mister Rogers from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It was a touching story of true friendship. You find out Fred was a devote believer in loving people of all types. It made me cry at the end (of course) but I would recommend it to everyone. Tim talks a lot about his own struggles of depression and how Fred helped him through some really dark times. Two things that stand out are:

A story that Tim tells to Fred: Two men are walking towards each other on a shore. Between them are thousands of starfish that have been swept up to the land. The first man walks through them thinking what a shame it was that all these starfish will die. The second man is throwing one starfish at a time back into the ocean. The first man says " What does it matter if you throw these starfish back? There are thousands of them!" The second man proceeds to throw another starfish back and says "It matters to that one."

The second one, again of Tim. Tim's son, when he is five asks him why he never cries. Tim admits to the reader that he tries to bottle emotions. Sadness, joy, triumph, distress, he bottles it all. After that though, he begins praying that he will be able to really feel those emotions. Several years later, his son sings for the Christmas pageant at his church. Tim takes Patrick into a side room and with big tears in his eyes tells him how proud he is of him. Patrick says " Sometimes, life is so beautiful, you just have to cry."

There are lots of stories about Mister Rogers too. He was a great man. And I will definitely be buying his DVDs when I have kids of my own!

Overhaul of the Blog

Well, with much thought and consideration, I have decided to rename the blog. The name change came from the book "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. I started the book about 2 weeks ago and am about half way through. It definitely isn't a light read but I would recommend it to everyone. It is challenging and has been a great boost to my faith.

Road Trip!!!!

Clint and I decided to take a road trip to Nashville to see his sister and her family and also just to hang out, because Nashville is a lot of fun. While we were there, the weather was amazing (except when it rained on the 4th...) but other than that it was perfect. So we loaded everything up in the car... Cherry included.
Our studly driver. Clint drove the entire way there. I get antsy after driving 2 hours. It took us about 11 hours with rests and all. The drive is really pretty after you get out of the concrete, aka DFW.

And what awaited us when we got there? This is Watson, our nephew. He is a cutey. We got to watch him on Monday and Tuesday while mom and dad worked. It was a lot of fun getting to know him better.

This is Jill and Jared. We had gone to a block party for the 4th. It's pretty amazing. In the morning, they have a symphony play the national anthem and then someone reads the Declaration of Independence. (We missed that part, but that's okay, they still had food!) All along the edge of the street they had canoes filled with ice and cokes. Of course we had the traditional hot dog and some delicious sides to go with it.

Clint and I. We never get pictures of us together. The last ones were probably at our wedding!

Oh fireworks, how I love thee. If you look closely, you can see the clouds rolling in the background. The fireworks had this strange fog over them, I think from all the humidity and also it had started raining. Jared has a friend that was able to get us up to this tall tower. You could see a lot of downtown from up there. Even though the fireworks didn't last long, they were still really pretty. It was fun to just be up there and see out. Quickly after this pic was taken, the bottom fell out and we were scrambling to find shelter, like the other half a million people there! Luckily the tower we were in was connected to the garage so it was easy for us to get out of there.

Uncle Clint and Watson sharing a laugh.

On Monday, Jill was able to come home for a bit at lunch. She is an Ob/Gyn resident at Vanderbilt Hospital (hence the scrubs).

I could have put a lot more pictures up here. Like the ones of Clint and I taking Watson to the park, scarfing down hot dogs at the block party, eating yummy homemade waffles in the morning, watching Cherry inhale Maggie's food and Maggie eating Cherry's food, or hanging out, drinking coffee at Bongo Java. But that would be a very long post. I think it's safe to say we had a really great time. It was great to spend time with Jill, Jared and Watson.

I also really appreciated getting to see a little snippet of residency. I have to say, I'm a bit nervous of not getting to spend much time with Clint. I know it's going to be hard and stressful but I appreciate them showing me how it can be done (even with a baby).

Thank you guys for all the hospitality and more than that, the love you shared with us while we were there. Oh, and Cherry said to tell you guys thanks for the bone and that she misses Maggie. :)

William Abay

Monday, June 29th, Beth and Nick welcomed their 3rd child into the world. His name is William Andrew Abay. Everything went well and from what I hear, mom and baby are doing well.


HELLO WORLD!!

We are so happy for them. Congratulations you guys!

Year One...Check

Clint finished his first year of med school last Friday!! Yeah!!! I'm so proud of him for his self determination and discipline. There were many times when he had to choose between hanging out with friends or sticking himself in a quiet room and hitting the books.

I can't believe it has been a year since we moved to Fort Worth. We have had such a fun time meeting new people and finding dear friends. Clint and I have also grown a lot as a couple. Before he started med school, we spent most of our spare time together. We have now learned that isn't always possible and that's okay! Some highlights of living in Fort Worth: good Mexican and "hometown" food, lots of places to shop, our house and downtown.

Clint has done such an amazing job of taking care of me and his school responsibilities. He is truly a Christian leader in our home. I am so thankful that God blessed me with him. He is my psychologist, helper, best friend and husband! I can't wait to see what God has planned for us in his second year.

Father's Day Weekend

This weekend we went to Waco. Nathan and Lacie and Justin and Kassie were all there just on different days. Nathan had his 10 year school reunion so we saw them Friday and Saturday and then Justin and Kassie came in for church on Sunday.

Happy Father's Day! Justin with sweet little Blair. She is 3 months now.
G and Blair. (That's mom's name. We started calling grandmom G-mom, so we shortened it for mom so that she is just G.)

Kassi and Justin say that Blair looks like me as a baby. I mean, I knew she was cute but wow, what a compliment for Blair! Just kidding. She is the cutest baby ever but I'm a bit partial.

I know, I know. If you're not an animal lover you don't know why I'm posting these. But that's ok. This is Bentley, my nephew until Lacie and Nathan give me a real nephew. Bentley and Cherry love to play...when Cherry will get up off the couch.

Here's Daisy. She is getting old but she's a sweet girl.

On Saturday, we celebrated Clint's birthday. Mom cooked ribs, black-eyed peas, cornbread, fruit salad and for dessert a German chocolate cake. It was quite yummy! Unfortunately Clint had to study a lot BUT he will be officially done with first year on Friday!!! YEA!!!!!

New Camera

Clint decided with his birthday money that he would buy a new camera. Here are some random pictures we have taken with it.

I took a picture of this flower because it actually came from a small tree. The tree was about the size of a crepe mertyl. I thought the flowers were so pretty and unusual to come from a tree. It had these flowers all over it.
This is the middle school that Cherry and I pass on our walks on our way to the track. It's a beautiful old school. It used to be a high school. It isn't institutional looking like they make them now a days.

Our pretty tomatoes!

This is the side our house. It has a beautiful old magnolia tree in the front. Beside the crepe mertyl, is the side of the house and you can also see a little of the front porch.

Alright so there is some random stuff. We love our new camera so much! We figured out our other camera was 5 years old which is like 40 in technology years. :)

Clint's Birthday Party

We celebrated Clint and Brad's (one of our friends from med school) birthday last night. Clint is turning 24 and Brad will be 25. This was at our house. Everyone brought their own meat to grill and then Stephanie (Brad's wife) and I made some sides for everyone. We had a great time. Clint is in his element when people come over and hang out. I think it's one of his most favorite things to do.


This is Clint and Daniel. Another friend from med school. They were showing us their mad fly swatting skills. Clint had the fly swat and Daniel is using is hands...(yuck!)

Chris and Brad giving one another a high five. We went outside once it got dark. Luckily, we have a light outside so that we could sit and hangout.

Brad lining up his next shot...

Nathan got to come over. Unfortunately, Lacie was on call so she didn't come out.

These are all the wives. (L to R) Claire, Joanna, me, Stephanie. These are some of the girls that help me keep my sanity while Clint is off studying and what not. It's nice to have people who know what you are going through! Most people our age are getting established but for us, things are a bit delayed. That's okay though because Clint is doing something that is going to make a difference in people's lives one day. He may even save a few lives! I think he is awesome for doing what he is because not many people are willing to work as hard is he has. I'm so proud of him for having the courage and determination to go after what he most wants in life.

The FURminator

If you don't have a dog, you may not have heard of the FURminator. It is the best thing that has happened to Clint and I since our Roomba. It looks like a comb and it pulls the under layer of the dog's coat out. Because it has been soooo hot here, Cherry has been shedding really really bad. We have hardwood floors throughout the house, and so Cherry's hair forms tumbleweeds that float across the floor. I vaccum at least once a week and it still gets bad. But not anymore!

This is all the hair we combed off Cherry during one sitting! It was just as big as Cherry! I can't believe that would have been all over our house. Now, when Cherry gets off the coach, there isn't a bunch of white hair left behind! Yeah for the FURminator!

This Weekends Happenings

Friday, Clint took one the harder tests he has taken. I didn't see him most of the week because of this thing. He has only told me a handful of times that he was nervous about a test and this was one of those times. He ended up doing fine on it. Friday night we went to some friends' of ours' apartment. They fixed their signature burritos (yummy). And then we ended up just hanging out and talking til pretty late. Saturday we went to N8 and Lacie's house. N8 had smoked some chickens and then we went and swam in their apartment's pool. It was the first time I've been swimming this summer so needless to say I was quite pale. But that's OK because it got dark pretty quickly. Sunday Clint did a very romantic thing. We had planned to clean house, go grocery shopping, blah, blah, blah. But I was feeling pretty down because I hadn't seen Clint much and we just weren't in sync, if you will. So around 1:30 he comes into the living room and says hey, get up, were getting out of the house. I asked him where we were going but he wouldn't tell me. He ended up taking me to the Galleria mall in Dallas. We really didn't shop (it's waaay out of our price range) we mainly just people watched and went in to some of the fancy places and looked around. Then he took me to Campisis which is a very authentic Italian food place in downtown Dallas. It is so good. I had only been there one time and it was back when Clint and I first started dating. Then we went to a used CD place and we each got a CD. It was so much fun. We got home around 7 or so. It was really short and nothing fancy but it was probably one of the sweetest and romantic things Clint has ever done. He knows just how to help me de-stress. Thanks Clint. I love you.

More Food...

This is one of my okra plants. I grew this one from seed and it looks the healthiest. I will probably grow all my okra from seed from now on. If you look back at my old post about my plants, you can see how big they are getting. One is producing a few okras but they are so small, I think they are probably inedible so I haven't picked them yet.

These are my tomato plants and then my bell pepper plant on the side. My tomatoes got a fungus (one hazard of planting them in pots, I think) so they look a little ragged. But they are doing well now and are getting new growth everyday. Again, look at my old post to see how big these guys have gotten.

So this is the momma. It's my biggest plant. This is spaghetti squash. It has really taken off...in every direction. Soon, I won't have much room to plant anything else on that row or the row next to it! But it does have some buds so I should be getting some squash soon!

This is from my tomato plant with the larger variety of tomato. It has also taken off. One day there were flowers, the next nickel sized tomatoes. I definitely have an appreciation now for people that had to do this everyday in order for their family to eat. Pretty amazing.

Food, Glorious Food!

I haven't posted anything about my babies in quite some time. So here is an update. I don't know why this text is underlined. (Sigh) This is the first of the harvest. It isn't quite ripe, but I can tell you it will be a big day around here when we finally get to eat it! This one is from our grape tomato plant. We counted it up and there are about 20 tomatoes on the plant but they are a lot smaller.

These are the green beans mom sent us home with. Mom's garden is really awesome. It puts mine to shame. But that's okay. It's been fun calling her about my plants her calling me about her's. I don't know how many times I called saying "Mom, I think my plant is dying!" They weren't.

These are the bell peppers. This was the funnest plant to grow. I had no idea how they grew or what would happen. First, the leaves are large and dark green. Little white flowers start blooming and then the flower starts to die. Behind the flower, a little green bulge emerges. Within a day the little bulges are quarter sized. A day later, they are golf ball sized. It was amazing to see how quickly these guys grew.

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend, all of Clint's sisters were in town. We went down to Corsicana to see them all on Saturday. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera, again! Basically, we hung out at the house. It was good to see Jill, Jared and Watson. They live in Nashville, TN and only come down a few times a year so this was a real treat. In July, Clint and I are planning a road trip up there so that should be lots of fun. Beth, Nick, Connor and Lillie were there also. They lived in El Paso but actually moved back to this area over Memorial Day Weekend. We are excited that they have moved closer. Kara, Keith and Annabelle were there. Annabelle is so precious. She spends most of her time eating or sleeping. Oh what a life! Monday we went to Waxahachie to see my family. My aunt Becky and Uncle Johnny had a huge cook out. Chad and Donnita's kids were sliding down this huge blow up slide with water sprayers on it. It looked like a lot of fun. They played on that thing all day. Justin, Kassie and Blair were there. It was good to see them and to hold Blair. She is so cute and so far has kept the blue eyes (Justin is the only one in the family with blue eyes). We got home around 4:30 and went and hung out at a friend's house and then Clint had a soccer game at 8:30. It was a pretty busy weekend but we thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the family. Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

Book Blog and Some Random Stuff

Some of you may be aware that the new Harry Potter movie comes out in July. I cannot wait. I've been looking on the web for all the trailers they have released and it looks awesome! So anyway, that leads to my book which is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I read it when it came out but I re-read it because I had forgotten a lot. It is such a good book. I love the whole series.

I also have been meaning to write about some of the funny things I have experienced while working at Calloway's. Calloway's is a nursery and is one of the nicer nurseries in Ft Worth. So it tends to attract a more "uppity" crowd. With that in mind, here are a few funny stories.

When I first started working there, a lady came in with three very dead shrubs. She told me how she had tried everything to revive them, but nothing had worked. I said that was fine and asked if she had her receipt. She pulls out this old carbon copy receipt from 1997. Yes, that's right. She had kept that receipt for 12 years! The plants had been just fine for about 11 1/2 of those years. I told her I would have to get my manager to approve the return. My manager asked her at what point she thought it was the plants fault and not Calloway's? I don't think the lady appreciated that. She got all her money back.

Another time, a lady came in and bought probably $150 worth of plants. After she paid, she began removing all the price tags off the plants. She told me, her husband didn't need to know how much they all cost.

At Calloway's, it isn't surprising to see BMW's, Lexus', Range Rovers' etc. out in the parking lot. In fact, there is usually at least one of those cars out there. The women come in with huge diamond rings, expensive clothes and huge hair. The men carry themselves with an air of importance. But they do not mind fighting you tooth and nail for $1 off of a purchase! "The sign says these are on sale for $3.48 and you charged me $4.59!" (This was an actual quote.) I guess that's why they have so much money, they are so mean to people, they end up getting whatever they want.

So anyway, I really enjoy Calloway's but I thought these were just some of the sillier things that have happened to me. Have a good week everybody!

Superwoman

Mom has inspired me to try growing my own vegetables. I first started with 3 buckets (see the 2nd pic) but soon found that I would need something bigger so...This is the before pic, except I had already started (oops). So this is the closest thing I have to before.
This is in my backyard. You can't tell from this pic, but basically our entire yard is weeds. I was very encouraged though because I found earthworms, ladybugs, rolly pollys and spiders in the yard. (They are all pretty beneficial bugs to have around.) In the soil I also mixed some organic mushroom compost.


My babies! Okay, I know that sounds weird, but when I got these guys they were all pretty small and now they are really starting to grow. I have become pretty obsessive, worrying that bugs are eating the leaves, they aren't growing right, etc., etc. The 2 on the left are tomato and the right is a bell pepper plant. I will definitely post when I get a tomato (if the squirrels or birds don't get to it first.)

AFTER! I was really proud of myself for this. All I had was a shovel and spade to dig up all this earth. It's about a 4X4 area. You can just make out the 3 rows from the pic. Cherry has decided that she likes this area and has taken to stepping through it. In fact, if you look at the row to the right toward the top of the pic, you can see paw prints. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that... I just planted 3 okra seeds and it has been raining like crazy here this whole week so I'm hoping they will emerge soon. My future plans for the garden are: carrots, spinach, garlic, red potatoes and sweet potatoes. I really felt like superwoman after this. Even though Clint had to pull out some of his med school training and massage my neck the next day!