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.