Christopher gets a haircut

One day, Chris decided he needed a haircut.

He usually got his hair cut at SuperCuts or GreatClips, but he felt that paying $10 for a crummy haircut was a bad deal. Also, the last lady that cut his hair was a big fat jerk, so he didn't want to end up with her again. He also didn't want to go to the salon I use because it is about $30/haircut. Although the cut may look nicer, we are poor med students, so only one of us gets nice hair. (That's me!)

Chris got a bright idea! He was going to cut his own hair with his very own clippers! That would save tons of money!He enjoyed the last of his mullet hair and said goodbye.

He took off to the brown bathroom and started buzzing away. I have no idea who in their right mind decided to paint our guest bathroom brown. Poo brown. Probably the same person who decided neon-lavendar and puke-yellowbrown were good bedroom colors. Not quite finished (a little lumpy still) but looking much lighter! Isn't my husby a cutie?!
Our pirate duckie got in on the fun and rode the waves.
The end!

Belated Holiday Post

My friend (and "forever-roomie"), Amanda has been in Peru doing missionary work as a teacher for the past year and a half. She is having a blast and is currently planning to be out there at least another year and a half! I'm super proud to call her my friend. She came home to visit for Christmas (and I hope hope hope I will be able to visit her in Peru within the coming year - !!!) and I was lucky enough to spend TWO evenings with her!

I was actually lucky enough to hang out with her AND with my friend Jessica. She's a Spanish teacher and pretty awesome herself. Amanda, Jessica, and Jessica's husband Matthew came over and Chris and I cooked dinner. We made white bean hummus and crackers, pasta with bolognese sauce, a nice big salad, and...drumroll please...chocolate marscapone brownies with chocolate ganache and topped with almond whipped cream. Pretty amazing.

We also had lots of fun playing with Chris' camera. For some reason, these were the only photos he gave me (and probably the only "normal" photos of the entire night!).



Amanda gave me this super cute Peruvian scarf - I love it! I think it makes me look trendy, don't you? :)

Hooray!

You can't make this stuff up

Today was my last day of dermatology. It's been a great month. A little boring because it was all shadowing, but easy (4 half-days/week) and I learned a whole lot. I actually really liked derm - I found it extremely satisfying and I hope my future practice allows me to do some dermatological work. There were some great patients, including this one I had today:

An elderly woman came in after being referred from her PCP. She wasn't really sure why she was supposed to be there (other than a checkup), which is pretty common occurrence in a specialist's office. She was, however, worried about a spot on her chest which she had just noticed this morning.

She got up on the examining table and showed us her chest. There was a sticker with a hole in it (like a reinforcement for paper, see photo) surrounding a pink mole.


Dr. M and I thought this was a really cute way to keep track of which mole you want the doctor to look at. The mole was fine. Dr. M told her she thought it was fine, and peeled the sticker off to finish her examination. The patient looked shocked, and exclaimed "Oh! That was just a sticker! I had no idea!"

Maybe the poor woman needs a referral to see an eye doctor next.

Marathon

That's right folks, I ran a marathon. Nevermind that it took me five days to complete, or that it isn't really running if you're on a machine in a gym, but that I did it and that's kinda cool. I even ran eight miles the other day! Eight! I've been increasing my trips to the gym for one simple reason:

I don't like wearing pants.

This happens every once in a while. I walk around, pantsless (and freezing, given the dreary January weather) either until I find a cozy pair of sweatpants lying around or just give up and curl up in my snuggie and don't budge off the couch.

Why am I pantsless? I think my pants get a little tighter and I just decide not to wear them anymore. Why are my pants tighter? Well, it might have to do with the all-inclusive honeymoon, the holidays, and the fact that I love baking and do it pretty much whenever Chris plays video games. Which is all the time.

So, I've been hitting the gym a bit more and I can say I've successfully worn pants ALL DAY for the past two days. I think of that as an accomplishment!

I've mostly been running on the elliptical machine because the treadmill gives me a weird pain in the side of my foot - I think because my shoes are old. So, I've been "ellipticaling" I guess you could say. You know how they talk about a "runner's high"? Well, being that I've only run 4 miles max in my whole life I'd never experienced that sort of thing. However, the other day I was bored and just kept running...it helped that I was fully stocked with sweat covered magazines, a big window, my ipod, and 3 televisions within eyeshot...and I ran, and ran, and ran. And you know what happened when I stopped running? I wanted to run more! We left the gym and I ran to the car. I know - bizarre. But it was really cool.

I probably won't keep up my crazy habit and I'm pretty sure I will NEVER have the urge to run a real marathon (black toenail, anyone?), but I'm having fun right now, and that's what counts. And I'm still wearing pants.

Dance Blue Bake Sale!

Yesterday I made cupcakes.

Blue and white swirly cupcakes.

Then, I decorated them with fondant made out of homemade marshmallows.

UKCOM had a bake sale today for DanceBlue, a 24-hour no sitting no sleeping danceathon held to raise money for pediatric oncology at UK. I made these vanilla-almond cuppie-cakes and had a lot of fun decorating them, and I also made homemade marshmallows. Chris said they got a lot of attention when he dropped them off today - I sure hope they were a hit!

Thanks

It would be a lot easier if I'd written these residency interview thank you notes about a month ago.

Especially since I apparently have absolutely no recollection of one of them. Oops. I think I can wing it, though! Now just to figure out what I'm actually going to do with my life. Ugh!

Not much new going on here, still on derm - I actually really really like derm and I really can't complain working only four 1/2 days per week, but it's sort of boring since all I do is shadow. I realize I can't do the same things as a dermatologist, but seriously, couldn't I freeze that wart myself? Or talk to the patients at all? I think I can. I'm *almost* a doctor. (Yippee!)

On a sadder note, 2010 hasn't started off on the best foot for our family. After Prancer passed away, my grandparent's little doggie, Max, also passed away (he was like their baby!), so it's been really hard on them. To make it even harder, my grandpa fell and bled into his brain (and was on blood thinners, bad combination...) and is having surgery tomorrow to release the pressure. It sounds like he will be OK right now but will likely need to move to a nursing home (and for a 90 year old like him, they're going to have a hard time keeping up with him!) Please keep him, my grandma, and the rest of my family in your prayers.

Because I don't want a depressing end to this post, I'll tell you something exciting (for me, anyway). I found an opportunity to do two things I love AT THE SAME TIME - volunteering and baking! Why didn't I think of this sooner?! I'm baking cupcakes and marshmallows for the Dance Blue Bake Sale - hopefully some awesome photos tonight!

Weddings and Things

It's that time of year again - time for engagements! Planning a wedding is quite an undertaking (usually) and I have to say I didn't love that part of it - having a constant to-do list is not my idea of a good time!

I've had a lot of people asking me who I used for things and my recommendations and I'm happy to oblige.

Location/Food
We had our reception at Embassy Suites Hotel. I did NOT want a hotel reception but they were actually fantastic. Amy Stamper worked with us and was unbelievably helpful and nice - and she was completely on top of things! We didn't use a wedding planner but she basically did everything for us - she even coordinated our other vendors for the big day. Their chef helped us pick out a meal and they were patient and worked with us to meet all of our needs. Everything was wonderful! Also, we didn't have to pay a "room fee" as part of the package - we just paid for food! Definitely check them out.


Photography
Our photographers were awesome. Seriously. Since Chris dabbles in photography quite a bit, he was really, really picky when it came to our photographers. We used Varland Photography from Cincinnati and they didn't let us down. Annie and Toby (a husband-wife team) were affordable, gave us rights to the photos, threw in an engagement session, and were just downright cool people. We were sad the wedding was over because that meant we couldn't hang out with them more. I definitely recommend them!


Flowers
We used Ivory Rose Floral for flowers. Beth, the owner, runs the business and makes all the arrangements herself. Since she gets wholesale flowers and does all the arranging, it makes her cheaper than other places. She did a really good job, but I felt she seemed to sort of push roses. If you want a crazy bouquet, that may not be the place to get it, but for everything traditional she's your lady! She will loan you vases (like for centerpieces and things), but I recommend buying them from a craft store or flower shop so you can give them away at the end of the day without collecting the vases.


Dress/Alterations
I got a Maggie Sottero dress from Ruth's Bridal. I hate to give bad reviews but I will say that my dress was two MONTHS late and once it finally came in and was at least two sizes too big. Like, waaay too big, maybe even three sizes. Nobody there ever seemed worried about it (even though I was stressing more than a little) and they are terrible about answering their phones. They have gorgeous dresses, but charge a lot and I wasn't a fan of their service. They don't do alterations in store, either.
On the bright side, I did use Barbie at Alter Ego for alterations, and she was wonderful. She knew exactly what she was doing, was prompt, and was reasonably priced. If you need alterations definitely go there!


Tuxes
We got our tuxes from Genos. They were fine, we didn't have any problems with them but a couple of the tuxes didn't fit, so we had to go back and get them changed. Get them as early as they let you to make sure they fit!


Musicians/DJ
The Newman Center provided us ceremony musicians for a donation to the church since we are parishioners there. Our DJ was Thomas from Complete Music, and he was really laid back and had a great personality, not annoying at all. He did get a couple of our songs wrong (like, the "bouquet toss song"), but the ones that were really important he got right! :)


Invitations
Our invitations were beautiful! Emily Mistretta at Minuteman Press did our invitations and she was wonderful to work with. My mom loved her, her dog, and her baby - I swear she would make up excuses just to go visit them! She is very affordable, very professional, and very patient! We couldn't make up our minds with the invites so she made many different proofs, and when we realized two days before the wedding that we had no programs, she whipped them up exactly like we wanted in no time! Very highly recommended!!


Cake
I almost forgot the cake! We used Martine's, a honest-to-goodness French lady who makes delicious, beautiful cakes. Her prices were about the same as everywhere else we looked (maybe a tiny bit higher) but her cakes were richer and prettier. She took my ideas and ran with them!

comfort food

Tonight was one of those nights. On one hand, I've been on derm rotation all week trekking all the way across Lexington (and risking my life during morning rush hour). On the other hand, I only started work on Tuesday, only worked half days (8-noon), and I have a day off tomorrow. The temperatures are dropping lower and lower and panic has set in to our icy town. My street is a deathtrap and my parking lot has spun out one too many cars for my liking (Chris literally had to push someone out of their spot).

In reality, every other road in Lexington is fine, except for my pitiful little street. Thankfully we're not on too much of a hill! Anyway, it was a comfort food kind of night. I pulled out my newly acquired "Joy of Cooking" book Chris gave me for Christmas (thanks, sweets!) and flipped through the pages while Patrick played video games on the couch. We decided on sloppy joes to use up the ground beef we had in the fridge, and I decided that I just couldn't pass up making some mac and cheese to go with it.

Both were delicious, but I have to say that the mac was some of the best I've ever tasted. I like for my mac and cheese to have a lot of flavor (since it's full of calories) and I've been disappointed on many occasions with various store bought mixes (and even recipes of my own). I didn't have the right noodles or enough of any ingredient, but I played with a recipe and just had to share. I sadly don't have any photos because, well, it was just too delicious. Mac and cheese really isn't that photogenic anyway.

Delicious Macaroni and Cheese (adapted from Joy of Cooking)
Makes 4ish servings

1 cup pasta (I used those tiny little alphabet noodles because that's all I had)
- boil pasta according to package directions and return to the pot

Add the following to the pasta:
1 tbsp margarine or butter
1/2 can (a 12 oz can, so 6 oz) evaporated milk
>1cup extra sharp cheddar (I used lowfat cheese and it did just fine)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp mustard (all I had was a packet of Chinese mustard, I think this is what made it so amazing)
1/2 tsp salt (or as needed)
1/4 tsp ground red (cayenne) pepper

Stir on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Don't let it boil or the egg will scramble and you'll have lumps in your mac. The sauce will get really think (you're essentially making a custard base) and everything will get all melty. I love that the mustard and cayenne made it just a little bit spicy, and the cheese sort of sets that off a bit. It makes yummy leftovers too but we only had a couple spoonfuls left over, so next time I will be making a double batch for sure!


Sloppy Joe's not from a packet (also adapted from Joy of cooking)
-Chris dubbed these the Best Sloppy Joes Ever, but I'm pretty partial to the powdered stuff...it feels good not eating a bunch of preservatives, though!

Heat the following in a skillet on medium for about 10 minutes or until everything is soft but not brown:
1 onion, finely diced
1 red or yellow pepper, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Remove vegetables from skillet. Brown 1 lb ground beef, then add the vegetable mixture back. Next, add in:

1/2 c ketchup
1/2 c beer (water works too, but why use water when you can use beer? Plus, you have to finish the bottle off somehow...)
3 Tbsp Worcerstershire sauce
Hot sauce or salsa to taste

Simmer until thickened, 10-15 minutes. Toast up some buns and pile it on high! They're called Sloppy Joes for a reason. :)

Now it's time to curl up in my Snuggie (don't bash it - they're SO cozy!) and watch some Netflix! My doc is off on Fridays so I get a snow day tomorrow!

Prancer Lucky Twist

The first movie I ever saw in the theater was All Dogs Go To Heaven. I was 3 1/2 years old, and I thought the movie was ridiculous. "I didn't like the movie" I told my mom while leaving the theater. When she inquired why, I told her "because everybody knows, dogs can't talk!"

I now understand fictional cartoons a bit better than my 3 year old self did, but I still hope that all dogs go to heaven. Because I think a lot of us won't go unless our pets come too!

I lost a best friend today. Prancer, our boxer, has been sick since Thanksgiving, and finally just couldn't keep going today. I've been heartbroken over it for some time now - aside from some goldfish (and a short-lived chameleon), Prancer was our only pet, so I've never had to deal with one passing away before. She lived a wonderful life and I think she touched many of us in a positive way that maybe we didn't realize until now. She's only a dog, but one that will never be forgotten. I wanted to share some of my memories here.

Patrick had been asking for a dog for almost a year (Patrick is the persistent one). We'd researched and researched, and decided that Boxers were athletic dogs that my dad would want to run with, they were good with kids, and they seemed like pretty good overall pets. Patrick even went so far as to start praying for a fawn color boxer with a black mask and white paws at the dinner table. We got her for Christmas in 1998. She started crying in her kennel early Christmas morning, waking up Gregory. My mom eventually just brought her upstairs to let us see her. They brought her into my room and I thought she was a puppet until they put her on my bed and she started to move!

I was in the 8th grade, finishing up with that "awkward middle school phase," and I remember wanting to stay up on New Years Eve that year. She slept in my lap while I stayed up to watch the ball drop on TV. (And by the way, how boring is watching the ball drop? Who came up with that idea anyway? Silly.) She was always there for you to cuddle with.

Throughout the years, Prancer has been a friend to everyone who entered our home. She used to be barely able to contain herself, wiggling everywhere when guests would come over. That's how she got her name in the first place, prancing around (and it helped that she was a Christmas pup-we named her after the reindeer!). We initially were going to name her Xena (because she was strong, like the warrior princess show on TV) but Patrick and Gregory couldn't remember her name...so she ended up as Prancer Lucky Twist. "Lucky" was Gregory's idea...I don't know why. Maybe because she was!

We moved to Colorado my sophomore year of high school. We moved about a month before school started, so I didn't have any friends. I would take Prancer for walks around the lake behind our house hoping to make friends. I never made a friend over at Waneka Lake, but Prancer and I shared plenty of good times there. I remember letting her get her feet wet on the shallow water, and watching her pounce on the dirt and sand that floated up from where her paws dug into the shore. One day, I took her to the neighboring lake that had a dock (instead of the shallow water like the other lake did)...Prancer walked right over to the water, touched it with her paw, felt that it was like the other lake, and stepped right on down...except that it was a couple feet deep! She fell in and couldn't hop back out onto the dock. I had to climb into the lake and pull her out! We were both smelly and wet and still had to walk back to our house...half a mile away. We got some funny looks on that walk!

When we moved back to KY after Colorado, we moved into a house that was all hardwood floors. My dad is a little OCD, and had a hard time when Prancer would get excited and her nails would scratch the floors. The solution? Prancer had to wear shoes! Prancer had her very own set of booties that she would wear each day. It was hilarious to watch her initially getting used to the shoes - she would walk around lifting her feet high above her head with each step. She eventually got used to them and actually couldn't hardly get down our stairs without wearing them (with their "no-slip grip" bottoms). Everyone loved to see her with her bright yellow boots!

Prancer was a sweet little dog that will never be forgotten. I'll miss you!

11/9/98-1/4/10

Workout DVDs

So, Chris and I have had Netflix for about five months. In that time, I've watched many workout videos (and participated in them, of course!). Although many I only watched once, there were a few that I really liked. Since pretty much everybody wants to get healthier in the new year, I thought I'd throw in my two cents as far as which videos I would buy. That is, if I didn't do netflix - which IS cheaper than a gym membership you know, and there are many choices for instant streaming workouts! Before I start sounding like an infomercial for netflix, here are my recommendations and non-recommendations! (in no particular order)

(Edited in: To save you from reading everything, Self: Bikini Ready Fast, Jillian's 30-Day Shred are my top two; and the shred is actually the best I've ever done by far. Buy it.)

Self: Bikini Ready, Fast

I really like Self workouts, and this is probably my favorite. Ellen Barrett is the instructor and I have a not-secret girl crush on her. She's not annoying at all, and explains everything well. You need light weights for this video (I did it with 5lb and it got my muscles burning; they recommend 2-5lb). This is a great toning workout, and there is a lot of "standing ab work" which is cool and different, but maybe not the best ab routine ever. I feel like there is more focus on upper body, but I did this just yesterday and my legs and back are sore and my arms are fine. Weird! The video is about 30 minutes (maybe a bit longer).

Self: Your Best Butt, Fast

Self: Firm, Flat Abs Fast

Self: Slim and Sleek, Fast

These are all more Self workouts. They're all decent, I don't like them as much as Bikini Ready but they're pretty solid. They are a little more cardio (which I prefer to do on the treadmill or outside) but good to do on a rainy day.

Jillian Michaels: No more Trouble Zones

Cardio Kickboxing

30 day shred

Banish Fat Boost Metabolism

Although I don't watch The Biggest Loser, I really, really like Jillian workouts. Every single one I've ever done has been solid. My favorite is hands down 30 Day Shred. There are three 20-minute workouts that are HARD. You will sweat so much and it's awesome because it is over in 20 minutes! It's circuit training, and keeps your heartrate up with cardio, strength (you need light hand weights), and ab work. I've never done 30 days of it, though, so I can't vouch for the effectiveness of it alone, I just really enjoy the video. BFBM was another solid workout, also circuit training, but is a little less intense but lasts for 50 minutes. Cardio kickboxing is fun and a good cardio workout (I think 30-40 min if I remember correctly) - not as hard as the shred, but actually a pretty awesome addition to it if you really want a workout! One thing I really appreciate about all these is that Jillian combines moves - so you're doing legs and arms together to burn more calories in less time, which is what I want.

10 Minute Solution: Kickbox bootcamp
Target Toning
Rapid results Pilates
Fat blasting dance mix

If you are looking for a super quick workout (and maybe not the most hard 10 minutes of your life) these are pretty good. I've tried to do these as study breaks, but I actually prefer to just do three or four of them at a time...or all of them! Each DVD is broken into about 5, 10-minute segments. Some (particularly Toning and Pilates) will focus on one area of the body at a time (so if you want to do 10 min of abs, you can do just that). The pilates is the best of the group, and I couldn't do the dance mix - not coordinated enough and she went too fast for me! I do like that these can be done with very little time commitment (and it's easy to say "well that 10 minutes wasn't that bad, maybe I can spare 10 more)

Crunch: Cardiosalsa
Candlelight yoga
Fat Burning Ab Attack

I don't like these too much. Cardiosalsa was too crazy and yoga usually isn't my thing. Maybe somebody else would like them, but they weren't for me.

The biggest loser: the workout

This workout was okay, a decent workout and the contestants on the show actually do the workouts, which is encouraging. It wasn't a super hard workout but it's better than sitting on the couch! It was laid back, and there are some workouts (I think out of 4 total) that are low-impact. Trainer Bob is the host (if you follow the show) and he's pretty laid back and not very pushy, so you have to keep yourself motivated. 4 workouts, 100 minutes total.

Cindy Crawford: Shape your body workout

This video was made in the 80s. It's not very fun, Cindy isn't all that good at what she's doing and she does it waaay too fast. It was funny to look at but got sent back after watching only maybe 5 minutes. I couldn't handle the 80's-ness of it all.

P90X

My brothers got P90 last year and I actually did half the workouts (I mean, I did all the videos for 45 days instead of the full 90). The premise is you workout every day (each video is over an hour) and you alternate with strength training and cardio. The workouts seemed pretty good but long and Tony Horton was only a little annoying (mostly he was sort of funny because he is crazy). Unfortunately, I think these videos were made for men. Chris and I did the same things for a month and a half (seriously, that was a huge time commitment for me) and he bulked up some, but I didn't notice any bit of difference - halfway through the program, working out more than I had ever done in my life(!) and eating healthy, and I didn't notice any changes - no extra energy, no firmer, no healthier. So...I'm not a fan.

The Statuses of 2009

While I usually disapprove of most facebook applications, I found one that a friend had used that shows what your status updates were for the entire year. I tried it out and it let me see all my updates for the whole year (as far as I can tell anyway) and I thought it was actually a pretty good overview of my year. 2009 - you were more amazing than I ever would have guessed. Here's to an even better 2010! January
	needs to sleep before her 6am ER shift.
	caught a cold and spent her only day off at marriage class. Ick!
	is NOT happy that being a 3rd year means being a "Plan B" employee. Boo!
Yes, I remember surviving the great snowstorm of 2009. The roads were ridiculous, and I should have just called in. Seriously, 3rd years don't matter anyway. Thankfully, I only live a mile away and I had an awesome fiance (now husband!) who drove me in and picked me up (seriously--awesome).
February
	is-holy cow-getting married in 8 months!
So much of the year was spent preparing for marriage. Marriage classes, meeting with the priest (hundreds of times it seemed like), picking out every teensy little detail. I wish that it hadn't stressed me out at all, that everything was in stride, but these silly wedding guides make you believe that it really DOES matter whether you have ivory or white linens, or whether your food is a buffet or served by waiters. I eventually realized that none of that stuff matters at all to me, and that made the process so much easier! I'm glad it's only something I have to do once, though!
	is about to enjoy her first day off in two weeks! whoo!
March
	was at lexington green and somebody was shot!
I still get a little creeped out when I go over there. I was at Lenscrafters and I heard the gunshots...but had no idea what they were! One of the scariest moments of the year.
	made 108 pumpkin chip muffins.
	has a dress. :)
and it was lovely! It was hard to come to a decision that the dress that I wanted was completely and absolutely unlike what I *thought* I wanted...but everything turned out perfect in the end.
	is visiting Indianapolis this weekend.
April
	hopes the peds neurologists will let her off for Easter!
	caught a bird. in her dryer.
	is proud of Catholic Christopher!
Chris became Catholic this year (on his own, not even because of me!), and he has made me such a better person in the process. Thanks, Chris.
	has seen enough strokes, thanks.
Neurology was not my thing.
May
	RAINBOW CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
	is irked they moved the neuro exam, but instead I got a dental appt. so I guess everything worked out.
	No-Cavity-Katie strikes again!
	needs someone to give her advice for surgery rotation, or at least let her borrow some books?
	has yellow hair! eep!
I went back to being blonde this year (after a couple years of red and brown...and I hate that I love it. It's such a pain to keep up but it's so gosh darn cute! Well, I'll enjoy it for the rest of 4th year, then sleep-deprivation of residency may turn me back into a brunette...we'll see.
June
	needs help with my ant problem. Bleck!
	got laryngoscoped today! for fun!
	has the best and sneakiest friends! Thanks so much, guys, you're awesome! :-D
My groupmates threw me a surprise bachelorette party, and it was fantastic! So fun.
July
	Chris made blueberry cornmeal pancakes...mmm :)
	305 days and you gotta call me Dr. Twist! (or Dr. Simmons, or whatever)
	is going to take a $1000 test. Boo.
CS wasn't really that bad, but it could have been cheaper. Or optional. Went to Atlanta with my parents and hung out at the Coke museum for an afternoon. It was a quick trip but nice to spend time with my parents.
	has too many teacher friends and they're making me sad with their "starting school" updates...I need a vacation too!
August
	...is a 4th year... whoo!
	does anyone know anything about dial-up internet nowadays?
I studied for CK at my grandparents house, and they had no internet, so I had to find some options. I ended up with broadband that we just paid for a month...a fantastic idea to make me study, actually.
	warm, homemade italian cream cupcakes. from scratch. :)
I was making my grandma's 80th birthday cake, and needed to practice all the recipes to make sure they'd turn out well! Chocolate chip, carrot, italian cream, and chocolate. How could they not turn out well?
	3 years of nonstop multiple choice tests has made it practically impossible to write an essay...
	teensy baby pumpkin pies!
	moving my stuff from apt 37 to apt 47 (before *hopefully* moving to B-town for AHEC...)
	Chris got his wedding band today! whoo!
	just busted out ERAS tonight...yessssss
September
	only 3 days on peds, and I already caught something. ughhhh. Thankfully, it's probably not swine flu.
I was sick that WHOLE ENTIRE MONTH...extremely frustrating, and I had no energy to be gettng ready for the wedding! It was a good excuse to hole myself up in the back room and study for boards, though, so I guess it was good in the end.
	had a great birthday, thanks for all the messages! :)
	is getting married in ONE MONTH! yeaa!
	has been voiceless for over a week...and the coughing begins. kids are little germballs.
I had no voice for THREE weeks total. Ridiculous. Almost made me swear off pediatrics forever.
	decorating a HUGE cake for my grandma's 80th birthday bash today! hooray!
October
	Step 2 on Friday - blech. Then the fun begins!
	had an awesome weekend!
	getting married in 9 days, getting excited!
	passed CS! Even though it's not much of an accomplishment, I think it still deserves celebrating :)
	is married! it's awesome!!!
The honeymoon was even awesomer :)
	is married, sunburned, and rocked the boards...best last day of vacation ever!
November
	just did the math, and I'm getting paid $0.15/hour this month. Better than nothing!
	just made homemade cookie dough ice cream (and peach frozen yogurt yesterday) !!!
Bought myself an ice cream maker with gift cards from the wedding. Definitely have gotten our money's worth on that purchase!
	loves making frozen yogurt!
	sturgeon face :c
	loves vegetables.
	is making pumpkin ice cream...mmmmmmm!
	has wedding pictures! HOORAY!
	figured out how to made chocolate fudgesicle ice cream (and it's lowfat!). YES.
December
	has begun her trek down the interview trail.
	made delicious soup! Yea! http://bit.ly/qqOOu
I baked and cooked more and more as the year has wound down to a close. I had less and less to do, so I just filled the time with cookies, soups, muffins, and everything else. I try to give most of it away so I don't become obese...you know.
	baking eggnog-cranberry muffins and gingerbread cookies...headed to NC tomorrow for one more interview. hooray, holidays!
	cleaning, decorating, and baking for a holiday party!
	ridiculously sore...spent too long at the gym I guess. Maybe gingerbread cookies will make it better!
	wedding pictures are (finally) up...thanks to Chris! and thanks to Varland Photography for taking such awesome photos!
	is choppin off her hair today!
	my husband is apparently a gourmet chef, who knew? <3>
	homemade graham crackers and homemade marshmallows equals only one thing...SMORES