Graduation Celebration

David's Graduation Celebration took place on Sunday, June 5.  It was wonderful to celebrate his accomplishments and to thank a few family members and friends that encouraged us along the journey.  Here are a few photos...

 I ordered mini cupcakes in 4 flavors from our favorite cupcakery.  Three flavors are pictured above along with the chocolate dipped strawberries that were quite the conversation piece (they were huge!).  

 One tray of the cookies I baked and decorated.

 Pictured is smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers, honey sesame cashews, sugar cookies, pretzel M&Ms, fancy mixed nuts, peanuts, cupcakes, sliced citrus and iced tea.

 Another view: cupcakes, sugar cookies, red grapes, green grapes, strawberries, cherries, smoked gouda, provolone, aged cheddar, brie, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, grape tomatoes, and everything else that was listed in the above photo.

Every table had a different cake plate and was topped with various sugar cookies.  

We had a great turnout, but about 24 people ended up not being able to make it due to last minute emergencies. 

Several of our guests who did attend may be contacting me to cater their next event.  How fun!


We had an after party with Cocktails and Caviar at our new home.  I skipped out on the caviar, but enjoyed cocktail shrimp and more smoked salmon. It was great! 

Tag (Not the game)

Medical School is hard... real hard.  So I felt the graduate needed a really nice gift... Ya know, something timeless and classic.  I found THE gift and gave it to David after we had dessert at our favorite little cupcake place.

I gave him an "OU" Scentsy.  Ok, ok... it was pretty low of me, but his facial expression was priceless.  Really, what man wants a Scentsy?  After the Scentsy came THE real gift....

 He was absolutely shocked and speechless when he opened the box.

 He LOVES his new Tag Heuer automatic timepiece.  

It's gorgeous!

I'm one PROUD WIFE!

I'm back!

Hey!  I haven't posted in a really long time.  Sorry about that.  Life has been crazy with moving, vacation, and an injured Macbook.  That's right, my Mac has been out of commission for a while.  I believe it was the evening of May 31 when I simply opened up my Macbook and felt a crack in the screen.  The right side of the screen was cracked from top to bottom.  I have no idea how this happened.  I've never dropped it or mistreated my Mac in any way.  I was devastated!  So, I just put it back in it's case and put it aside until after our move.  I finally dropped it off at the Apple store on June 8 and they repaired it while I was on vacation.  I picked it up yesterday and am very pleased with the repair.  The replaced the entire top panel.  I can now reply to all the emails, messages, and update the good ol' blog.  Praise the Lord!


The past few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind.  I'm not exactly sure yet on how to catch up, but I'll try my best to get it going soon.  


Here are a few photos for a sneak peek....

David's Graduation Celebration - the food spread

 We're on top of the world!  

We enjoyed a spectacular from the Empire State Building.

 Good Morning from Times Square!

 Enjoying a sunny day at Washington Square Park

 On the boat to see the Statue of Liberty.

She is magnificent!  

Match Day 2011

Match Day 2011 was on Thursday, March 17.  

Here's our BIG NEWS in photos.....

Holding our future in my very hands!!!

 One final photo before we know where we'll be for the next 4 years.  It felt as if David's heart was going to beat out of his chest while I was leaning into him for the photo.

I nervously watched David 
as he opened his envelope.

His letter!!!  It's IN WRITING!

 Ahhh!!!!  We did it!  We got our #1!  I get to keep my job (as long as they ask me back)!!!

 Boomer Sooner, baby!

We were obviously planning on these results, but we couldn't be certain until it was in writing.

Calling his closest family and friends 
to share the fabulous news!

 Dave and me at Busch Stadium in Saint Louis, MO.  Home of the Cardinals!!!

 Me and one of my favorite Med Wives, Tammy!  
I LOVE her to pieces!

 Do you see the famous arch?

 Loved that we could sport our Sooner jerseys 
in Busch Stadium.

 WE ARE SOOOOO HAPPY!!!!

 Another SLU SOM family will be joining us 
at OU for Orthopedics.  
Welcome to the dream team!  

 David, Me, Tammy, and Eric.  Friends for life!

 Do you see the sign?  "Congratulations Saint Louis University Medical School Students"

 My amazing husband!!!  I am so proud of him!  

  

His smile is ear to ear.  LOVE it!

Doctor Loan?

The solicitation begins...

Survey: Medical Research

If you can spare the time, please take 2 minutes to complete this brief survey. My husband is doing a small research project for a medical school grade and needs 100 participants. The survey is completely anonymous and responses will only be used for medical education purposes. 
Thank you so much for your help!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F7FPTHG

April Showers

We had a nice storm here in Saint Louis yesterday. David got caught in it without an umbrella.

Another Compliment

I received an amazing message on facebook from a friend I've known since 6th grade.  I thought it was too sweet not to share.  

"hello there! thanks for sharing your cookie recipe!! yummy! so...i was looking at the picture of you and your husband david. i don't know what kind of doctor he hopes to be but it really doesn't matter because he has such a kind face. does that make sense?! most docs you see don't have a sweet and understanding smile like he does and if they ever did, they lost it somewhere along the way. so tell your husband to never lose his sweet smile....his future patients are going to need it!"

THANK YOU so much for the kind message, Jennifer!

It really meant a lot to me and the future doctor.  And rest assure, if he ever starts to lose that sweet and understanding smile, I'll just quit cooking and baking for him.  That'll whip him back into shape.  = )

Baby Catcher!

That's right! My Dave was a baby catcher last night!!! He officially delivered a baby while on his OBGYN Clerkship. Isn't that so exciting? I'm so proud of him.

I've had a couple of people ask me if he caught baby fever through this experience. Are you kidding me? David? My David? Hahahahaaaaa......... Hardly! I don't know if he'll ever catch baby fever. Have no fear though, it's happening in 2011 or 2012 whether he likes it or not. I'm getting old, folks!

OBGYN - L & D

David is currently in the middle of his OB/GYN Clerkship. Tonight he started the Labor and Delivery part. I'm so nervous for him. The thought of witnessing someone give birth and catching a baby is a bit overwhelming. I'm confident that he'll do well and will learn tons. I'll let you know when he catches his first baby.

What a Week...

I don't even want to count up all the hours David put in at the hospital this past week. It was crazy! Let's just say that on Thursday I dropped him off at 5:30am and didn't pick him up until 7pm. We'd be doing pretty well if he were getting paid for all of those working hours, right?

Ethan and I have been resting at the apartment most of the week. I filled out several job applications (yes, I'm on the search again), but I don't know if I'll hear anything. My timing isn't so great right now. Everybody just got rid of all their Holiday help. I'm not getting enough hours doing what I'm currently doing and that's why I'm on the lookout again. I REALLY want something that can guarantee more hours. Maybe what I need is just a second job and not a replacement. Who knows.... Only time will tell.

I got to hang out with my dear friend, Rachel, on Tuesday and today. Did I mention that we hung out last weekend too? We have so much fun together. I'm so thankful I have such a good friend here that's so wonderful. I could go on and on about why she's so awesome, but I'll save that for another post.

Rachel and I hit the jack-pot at Old Navy today. They had all of their clearance marked an additional 50% off. I bought several tanks for only $1.49 each. They'll be fantastic to wear when I'm working out/running and to bed. I don't have any warm weather pajamas, so I think I'll be sleeping in some of these this summer. I also purchased some running shorts this week (Crazy, I know!!!). I haven't worn shorts in about 12 years. I'm pretty nervous, but they are only to wear while running. It's just gonna be too hot out there this summer to wear long pants. Hopefully my oddly shaped white legs won't scare anyone too badly.

It's been a pretty emotional week with lots of ups and downs for me. I always get really down when I return to STL after a nice time with family and friends in OKC. It takes me a while to get out of my funk and function normally again. I've been crawling out of my hermit shell a bit this past week (thanks to Rachel). Some days are good and some days just aren't. Being a Wife of a Medical Student is hard...... really hard. I'm ready for the part of this journey to be over. Graduation and Residency is lookin' really good right now. Hopefully we'll get the Residency we're praying for.

Family Photos

We had our family photos taken on 12/23/2009 by Holly Austin.

I LOVE them!!!

You can visit her site at portraitsbyhollyaustin.blogspot.com. I highly recommend her!

Fall Photos

I set my camera on my trusty tripod today and took some fall photos. Sadly none of the family photos turned out too well. Ethan wasn't in a cooperative mood today.

Here's a couple of individual shots of me and Dave.....

I wasn't going to shoot our family photos until closer to Christmas so we could put them in our Christmas Cards, but my upcoming surgery gave me a sense of urgency to take one last photo before I'm sporting a new "beauty mark." I'm having surgery this week! It was scheduled for 2 days before Thanksgiving, but they called to reschedule since my surgeon has decided to go out of town for that entire week.

I spent 5 hours at the doctor's office on Friday for my pre-op appointments. It included the normal office visit, visit with the anesthesiologist, poking and prodding, and more testing with the nuclear medicine department. My new "beauty marks" will make their appearance on Thursday, Nov. 5. Prayers would be greatly appreciated! ; )

1 More Down.....

David completed his Pediatrics clerkship on Thursday. He took the shelf exam on Friday and was home by noon. It was great!

I didn't sub on Friday due to a nagging cough and scratchy throat. Sadly, it hasn't gotten any better over the weekend. We've been trying to make the best out of my sickness by hanging out and running errands around town.

I went back home to OKC for a couple of days during Fall Break. It was very last minute, but it all worked out just fine. David was scheduled to be On-Call which means that I would have been by myself at home just about the entire time. That's not how I wanted to spend my Fall Break, so I searched for a decently priced plane ticket online. Thank goodness I found one!

My Dad picked me up from the airport and we went to visit my Mom at her work. She and her coworkers were happy to see me. After visiting them we headed back to my parents house where my bro and his fiance picked me up. We went to look at a place they were considering for their reception dinner. My bro gave his approval and they booked it. Hopefully this place won't go out of business like the place they had already booked. Luckily they're able to keep the wedding on the same date. I'm very happy about that.

My bro and his fiance dropped me back off at my parents home after our little adventure. I hung out there and played with my white furry brother (Jasper, their dog) until my Mom got home. We were all hungry so we went to Walmart to get salad supplies and to Papa Murphy's for some pizza. After we returned to the house I went for a run. It was so nice! I never noticed all the hills in their neighborhood before, but I sure noticed them when running. ha! Soon after my run, my bro and his fiance arrived and we all ate dinner together. They left shortly after dinner and my parents and I went to the Edmond SFHS Football Game. I just HAD to see my old HS band march at half-time. That's the only reason we even went. We showed up with about 7 minutes left in the 2nd quarter and the nice ladies working the gate let me in for free to see the band. I'm so thankful they let me do that. The band was as awesome as it's always been. I was hoping that seeing them march would give me my marching fix, but it only left me wanting more. Sadly I have to wait until next year.

My Mom took me shopping while I was in town. We went everywhere! I made a couple of purchases and she purchased a few staple items for me too. The things I'm most excited about are my new running shoes, dress shoes, dress pants, work shirt, and running shirts. We found some amazing sales while we were out too. It was a fabulous day! All of that shopping and running around town helped me lose a couple more pounds. I told my Mom that I should shop like that more often if I could keep dropping pounds like that. Too bad I couldn't afford that habit.

I went out for dinner with my parents that night. The restaurant was amazing! I have known the owner for a few years. She's incredibly talented. I wish I could have put her in my pocket and taken her home with me...... that's how great she is!

That's just a little summary of what's been going on with us. There are some other things that will be coming up soon, but I'll keep you posted on that at a later date.

David starts NEUROLOGY tomorrow.

Wish him LUCK!!!

Hope all is well!

September Summary

I can hardly believe that September is almost over. So much has happened this month and I really haven't blogged about anything. The best way for me to update ya'll about recent happenings is to just post some pics with brief captions. If you're super interested in knowing more about something, then post a comment and I'll go more into detail.

Here we go.......

Schlafly's Art Outside 2009

I assisted my friend, Rachel (also a Med Wife), with her first art festival that ran from Sept. 11-13. Of course, I only helped her on the 11th while her hubby was in class. We spent 4 hours setting up her booth that day and then it opened for business. I enjoyed learning some of what artists go through at this sort of stuff. It was really hard work putting up the tent, display shelves, and lighting. I have to say that my favorite part of setting up was putting out her beautiful ceramics. I loved every single piece. Rachel is quite the artist!

2nd Annual Strides 4 Kids

Bagels from St. Louis Bread Company (aka Panera)

These are a must for after a race!

A couple of Med Wives and a tiny tot participated

in the 5K.

Way to represent, ladies!

Fuze was one of the sponsors. I just LOVE this stuff!

......And they're off!

The group of volunteers. Most of them are

Med Students and spouses.

Go SLU MED!

I was the official event photographer for the

Strides 4 Kids run that was held on

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. The money raised goes to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Great job to everyone who participated!

**I'll be posting all 900+ pics on my website soon. I'll provide the link soon, so stay posted!**

Great Forest Park Balloon Glow

My parents were in town Sept. 17-19. We had so much fun! On Sept. 17 we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. This is one of my favorite restaurants. I had a house salad, sirloin steak, and green beans. I suggested the sirloin beef tips with mashed potatoes for my parents and they were impressed. They don't usually go to Texas Roadhouse, but I wouldn't be surprised if they started going there more often. After dinner we went to hear the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra perform a free concert on Art Hill in Forest Park. The weather was perfect for an outdoor concert and the SLSO played magnificently! We took the pups and they also enjoyed the performance.

The next day was filled with shopping and spending time together. My parents treated us to a few things while we were shopping. I'm actually enjoying some if it right now in my coffee. I got a couple bottles of sugar free Torani syrup. Yum! Thanks for spoiling us, Mom & Dad! Ooh, and my Dad put a new watch battery in my Nike sports watch. I have about 3 sports watches and 10 casual/dress watches with dead batteries (yea, I sorta have a thing for watches... love 'em!). I'm not really worried about the majority of them since I'm not working a whole lot right now, but I am so glad I have a working watch to wear on my runs.We went to the Boathouse that evening for dinner and then walked over to the Great Balloon Glow in Forest Park. It was so neat! We've all been to balloon glow's before, but this one seemed so much better.

There were tons of balloons!

The next morning (Saturday) we went to try out Crepes in the City for breakfast. Wow! This place was amazing! I still can't stop thinking about how delicious everything tasted. The atmosphere was very relaxing too. This is definitely on my list of favorite places to eat. I can't wait to go again. Oh, and if you ever give this place a try, I highly suggest ordering the Zamba on the sun-dried tomato crepe. So good and decently low-carb.

My biggest loser plan is going really well. I wish I could lose weight faster, but that's just because I'm an American girl that wants instant gratification. I know it's not healthy to lose as fast as I'd like. I'm not posting numbers or anything, but I'm half-way to my goal. I'm down a few clothing sizes, my rings no longer fit, and most of my shoes sound like flip flops because my feet have shrunk at least 1/2 a size. I'm not complaining, I'm just sayin'. I had a gigantic pile of clothes that kept accumulating. Thankfully I was able to find a couple of accepting people to take it off my hands. I'm glad they were able to find some good use for all of my clothes that no longer fit. Several of the items still had tags on them. Lets just say that my approach to shopping is going to be completely different when I redo my wardrobe one of these days.

More on that later.

David finished outpatient pediatrics and his week in nursery. I'm so glad he survived. In case you didn't know, David isn't too fond of other peoples kids. Nothing personal, that's just how he is and he's always been that way. I am happy to report that he was successful in nursery and even changed

some diapers. That's a first!!!

David started inpatient pediatrics today. I'll try to keep you posted on that one.

I've been subbing a little bit here and there. Sadly, I didn't get a call today. Hopefully I'll get one tomorrow. I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday. That's gonna be interesting and probably determine what the next few months have in store for me. Wish me luck!

I am happy to report that I do have sub jobs booked for this Thursday, Friday, and Monday.

Thank goodness!

Well, my time is up and I need to get out and enjoy the weather. It's currently 59 degrees and windy here in St. Louis. It's actually what I call

"Oklahoma Windy!"

Love it!!!!

Time for a run! = )